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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. object — to protest
  3. land — to come down
  4. scale — in music
  5. current — of water
  6. current — electric
  7. land — ground
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. object — an aim
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pit — in a race
  13. object — a thing
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. tube — the underground
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mine — for digging
  18. wax — to grow
  19. tube — a container
  20. pit — a hole
  21. current — happening now
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. land — a country
  24. wax — for sculpting

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