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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. drill — the tool
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. drill — a practice
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. land — to come down
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. bound — certain
  11. wake — a trail
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wax — to grow
  15. land — a country
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. land — ground
  23. rule — government
  24. drill — army training

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