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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. land — a country
  2. staff — a stick
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a face
  6. can — a tin
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. staff — employees
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. can — a tin
  13. season — in sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. wax — to grow
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mug — a cup
  18. staff — employees
  19. season — of the year
  20. land — ground
  21. can — to be able to
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wax — in the ear
  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