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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 116 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. land — to come down
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wax — to grow
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. band — a music group
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. mine — for digging
  19. squash — the sport
  20. band — a ring
  21. land — ground
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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