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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. mate — to breed
  3. land — a country
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bass — low music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. current — of water
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. wax — to grow
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bass — the fish
  15. mate — a friend
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. current — electric
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. current — happening now
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fork — in a road
  22. land — to come down
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fork — a garden tool

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