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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rest — what's left
  3. land — ground
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. object — to protest
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rest — a break
  8. object — a thing
  9. court — of law
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. dip — to sink
  16. ball — a dance
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. court — of a king
  20. object — an aim
  21. court — for sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wax — to grow
  24. ball — a great time

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