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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. land — a country
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. dip — to sink
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bound — obliged
  13. land — ground
  14. wax — to grow
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

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