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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. capital — money
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. rash — a series
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cap — a lid
  12. capital — a city
  13. cap — of ice
  14. press — a publisher
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. press — to push
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rash — hasty
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. spring — of water
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cap — a hat

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