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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. land — to come down
  4. capital — a city
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. land — ground
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. capital — money
  12. wax — to grow
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. land — a country
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. rest — what's left
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. stand — to bear

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