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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rock — a stone
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wax — to grow
  8. land — to come down
  9. bound — tied together
  10. march — music
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. march — the month
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. march — the month
  16. rock — music
  17. mine — for digging
  18. foot — a measure
  19. bound — obliged
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. bound — certain
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. rock — to move gently

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