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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. capital — a big letter
  2. staff — employees
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bore — to tire
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. staff — employees
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. face — to confront
  15. bore — to drill
  16. staff — a stick
  17. capital — a city
  18. tear — to rip
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. capital — money
  22. wax — to grow
  23. face — to point toward
  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