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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. capital — money
  3. wind — moving air
  4. spring — the season
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. spring — of water
  12. mug — a cup
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. mug — a face
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wind — moving air
  17. root — of a plant
  18. capital — a city
  19. root — the cause
  20. spring — a coil
  21. root — of a word
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. mug — to rob
  24. wax — for sculpting

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