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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. court — for sport
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. court — of a king
  19. pit — a hole
  20. capital — money
  21. rock — music
  22. rock — a stone
  23. court — of law
  24. capital — a city

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com