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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mug — a face
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pass — a permit
  11. land — ground
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. fine — all right
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wind — moving air
  18. land — to come down
  19. mug — a cup
  20. land — a country
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mine — belonging to me

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