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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. last — finally
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. foot — a measure
  5. last — final
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pound — a weight
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bound — certain
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bound — obliged
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. capital — money
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. wax — to grow
  22. last — to go on
  23. bound — tied together
  24. snap — to click

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