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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. root — of a word
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. root — of a plant
  6. capital — a city
  7. press — newspapers
  8. hand — help
  9. rash — hasty
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. capital — money
  13. rash — a series
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. root — the cause
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. press — to push
  19. wax — to grow
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. kick — in football
  23. hand — in cards
  24. straw — dry grass

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