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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. land — ground
  7. bore — to drill
  8. land — a country
  9. cap — a hat
  10. fine — all right
  11. bass — low music
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bore — to tire
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. plane — a tool
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bass — the fish
  24. tear — to rip

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