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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. saw — the tool
  3. land — a country
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. craft — a skill
  6. field — farmland
  7. land — ground
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. land — to come down
  12. craft — boats
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lean — thin
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. field — for sport
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. lean — to bend
  24. field — a subject

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