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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 116 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. key — for a lock
  4. capital — money
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. wax — to grow
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. pit — a hole
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. key — the most important part
  20. board — a committee
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. key — in music
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. pit — in a race

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