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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. land — to come down
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. land — a country
  6. mug — a face
  7. wax — to grow
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. rule — government
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rule — a law
  16. row — to paddle
  17. plane — a tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. mug — to rob
  21. land — ground
  22. snap — to click
  23. row — a line
  24. rule — to rule out

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