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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. wax — to grow
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. squash — the sport
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. bound — certain
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bound — obliged
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bore — to tire
  17. pit — a hole
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bore — to drill
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pit — in a race
  24. bark — to shout

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