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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 116 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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. branch — a division
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bulb — for light
  12. key — in music
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bulb — for light
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. capital — money
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. capital — a city
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wax — to grow
  21. key — for a lock
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. branch — of a bank

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