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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. wax — to grow
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — the cause
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. root — of a plant
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. land — ground
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to drill
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lie — to recline
  24. calf — of the leg

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