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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a city
  5. mine — for digging
  6. can — a tin
  7. charge — in control
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. can — a tin
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wax — to grow
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. charge — a price
  23. prune — to trim
  24. wave — with your hand

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