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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wax — to grow
  3. kick — in football
  4. rest — what's left
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. season — of the year
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. land — ground
  11. hand — in cards
  12. season — in sport
  13. land — a country
  14. hand — help
  15. tube — a container
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rest — a break
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. kick — with a leg

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