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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. plane — a tool
  6. capital — money
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pass — a permit
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cap — a hat
  18. capital — a city
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. wax — to grow
  24. prune — to trim

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