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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. branch — a division
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wax — to grow
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. land — a country
  8. spring — of water
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mug — a face
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. land — to come down
  13. ground — a position
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. land — ground
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spring — the season
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mug — a cup

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