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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pit — a hole
  3. land — ground
  4. dip — to sink
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. land — to come down
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pit — in a race
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. wax — to grow

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