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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wind — moving air
  16. rock — a stone
  17. land — a country
  18. current — of water
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rock — music
  22. land — to come down
  23. sharp — clever
  24. land — ground

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