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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 120 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. shower — rain
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. staff — employees
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. content — happy
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. shower — to wash
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. cabinet — ministers

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