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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. net — in sport
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. ground — crushed
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. bat — the animal
  16. capital — a city
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. capital — money
  19. ground — a position
  20. net — after costs
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. net — for catching
  23. ground — the earth
  24. bulb — for light

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