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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 116 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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wax — to grow
  3. last — finally
  4. pit — a hole
  5. land — to come down
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. last — final
  10. pit — in a race
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. ball — a great time
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. ball — a dance
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. land — ground
  19. last — to go on
  20. perch — the fish
  21. prune — to trim
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. present — a gift

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