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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pop — music
  4. tube — the underground
  5. net — in sport
  6. wax — to grow
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pop — soda
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. land — to come down
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. tube — a container
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stand — to bear
  19. net — after costs
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pop — to visit
  23. net — for catching
  24. land — a country

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