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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. capital — money
  5. land — ground
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mug — to rob
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wax — to grow
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mug — a face
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stand — to bear
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mug — a cup

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