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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pop — soda
  8. mate — a partner
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. mate — a friend
  12. firm — decided
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. firm — steady
  15. land — ground
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. mate — to breed
  19. pop — to visit
  20. land — a country
  21. pop — music
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. firm — a company

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