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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 120 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. spring — of water
  10. land — ground
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. press — to push
  13. rule — a law
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. rule — government
  18. wax — to grow
  19. plane — a tool
  20. press — newspapers
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. press — a publisher
  24. land — a country

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