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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. land — a country
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. bore — to drill
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. game — wild animals
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. land — to come down
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wax — to grow
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bore — to tire
  21. game — a match
  22. land — ground
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bore — gave birth

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