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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bear — the animal
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wound — an injury
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. capital — a city
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. firm — decided
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. last — finally
  19. firm — steady
  20. last — final
  21. capital — money
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. last — to go on

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