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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. land — ground
  3. mine — for digging
  4. net — in sport
  5. land — to come down
  6. net — after costs
  7. key — the most important part
  8. staff — employees
  9. key — in music
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bound — obliged
  12. staff — a stick
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. bound — certain
  15. saw — the tool
  16. staff — employees
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. net — for catching
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — an explosive
  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