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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. swing — in golf
  5. wax — to grow
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. charge — electricity
  11. capital — money
  12. branch — a division
  13. charge — a price
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. charge — in control
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — an illness
  21. swing — music
  22. swing — to play on
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wax — for sculpting

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