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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fall — to drop
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. land — a country
  10. tube — a container
  11. fall — the season
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wax — to grow
  17. chip — to eat
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. land — to come down
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. tube — the underground
  22. wake — a trail
  23. chip — for betting
  24. ruler — for measuring

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