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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wound · mug · press · pit · capital · perch · rash · wax

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. rash — hasty
  5. press — newspapers
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mug — a cup
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. press — a publisher
  12. capital — money
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. press — to push
  17. pit — in a race
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wax — to grow
  21. perch — the fish
  22. capital — a city
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rash — a series

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