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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. toast — bread
  4. current — of water
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. bore — to drill
  8. land — to come down
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. dip — to sink
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. spring — the season
  14. current — electric
  15. spring — of water
  16. bore — to tire
  17. wax — to grow
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. plane — a tool
  20. spring — a coil
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. current — happening now
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bore — gave birth

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