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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. ruler — for measuring
  2. land — a country
  3. board — to get on
  4. land — ground
  5. drill — army training
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cold — not warm
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. board — a committee
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. press — a publisher
  15. land — to come down
  16. drill — a practice
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. press — to push
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cold — an illness
  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