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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wax — to grow
  4. capital — a city
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. drill — the tool
  11. capital — money
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chair — a leader
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. drill — army training
  18. plane — a tool
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. drill — a practice
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bay — a horse colour

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