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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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. land — a country
  4. tube — a container
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. chip — for betting
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. wound — an injury
  11. prune — to trim
  12. land — ground
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. chip — to eat
  15. tube — the underground
  16. stand — to bear
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wound — an injury

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