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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: bear · wax · mate · can · capital · straw · drill · prune

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. can — to be able to
  5. mate — to breed
  6. prune — to trim
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. capital — a city
  10. can — a tin
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wax — to grow
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mate — a friend
  15. drill — a practice
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mate — a partner
  21. drill — army training
  22. prune — to trim
  23. can — a tin
  24. prune — the fruit

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