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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fall — to drop
  7. capital — a city
  8. race — humankind
  9. foot — a measure
  10. scale — in music
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rock — music
  13. fall — to drop
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wax — to grow
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. capital — money
  18. fall — the season
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. scale — size or range
  21. race — a contest
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rock — a stone
  24. foot — part of the body

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