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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. land — to come down
  3. season — in sport
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. pound — a weight
  7. present — there
  8. object — an aim
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wax — to grow
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. season — of the year
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. object — a thing
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. present — the time now
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. object — to protest

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