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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. fall — to drop
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. root — of a word
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fall — the season
  9. root — the cause
  10. date — the fruit
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. root — of a plant
  13. drill — the tool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. club — for dancing
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — from crying
  18. club — a group
  19. wax — to grow
  20. drill — army training
  21. land — ground
  22. club — for golf
  23. tear — to rip
  24. land — to come down

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