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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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. snap — to click
  3. land — a country
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. land — ground
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. wax — to grow
  13. land — to come down
  14. chest — a box
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rock — a stone
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rock — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. perch — the fish

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