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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.

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: lash · wax · capital · pitcher · tear · patient · foot · prune

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — a measure
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. tear — to rip
  14. capital — a city
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tear — from crying
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. prune — to trim
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. capital — money

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