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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bulb — for light
  6. game — a match
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. wound — an injury
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mug — a face
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mug — a cup
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. mug — to rob
  21. game — wild animals
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. land — a country
  24. racket — a loud noise

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