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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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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wax — to grow
  7. land — to come down
  8. tear — from crying
  9. kick — in football
  10. cap — a lid
  11. land — ground
  12. ball — a great time
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. land — a country
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. tear — from crying
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chip — to eat
  21. tear — to rip
  22. chip — for betting
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kick — a thrill

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