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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pit — in a race
  3. capital — a city
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. capital — money
  12. fall — to drop
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. rock — music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. cap — of ice
  22. fall — the season
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pit — a hole

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