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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · pit · wax · capital · rest · calf

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pit — in a race
  4. tear — from crying
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a city
  7. wax — to grow
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rest — a break
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pit — a hole
  15. tear — to rip
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. calf — of the leg

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