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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.

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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. land — ground
  4. staff — employees
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. staff — employees
  8. last — final
  9. staff — a stick
  10. prune — to trim
  11. last — to go on
  12. prune — to trim
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. last — finally
  19. land — a country
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kick — in football
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. 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