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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. bound — tied together
  3. rash — hasty
  4. current — electric
  5. bound — obliged
  6. current — happening now
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bound — certain
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. capital — money
  11. rash — a series
  12. deal — to handle
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. fall — to drop
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wax — to grow
  19. fall — the season
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. prune — to trim
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. current — of water

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