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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spell — a short time
  7. capital — a city
  8. spell — magic
  9. press — to push
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. capital — money
  13. press — a publisher
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a skill
  16. cell — a phone
  17. spell — letters
  18. key — in music
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cap — a lid
  21. press — newspapers
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wax — for sculpting

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