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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. capital — money
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wax — to grow
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pop — soda
  10. field — a subject
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bore — to drill
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. field — farmland
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. pop — music
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — in football
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. field — for sport
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bore — to tire

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