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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wax — to grow
  3. current — happening now
  4. hand — help
  5. land — a country
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. current — electric
  10. hand — in cards
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. land — ground
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. current — of water
  18. nail — on a finger

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