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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 120 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. capital — a city
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. wound — an injury
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cue — a signal
  14. race — a contest
  15. key — in music
  16. cue — for pool
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. key — for a lock
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. capital — money
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wound — an injury

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