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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. staff — employees
  6. capital — a city
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. charge — electricity
  11. capital — money
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. stem — to come from
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wax — to grow
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. foot — a measure
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. charge — a price
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. charge — in control

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