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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. game — a match
  3. game — wild animals
  4. spring — a coil
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. spring — of water
  7. land — a country
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. drill — the tool
  17. land — to come down
  18. spring — the season
  19. land — ground
  20. bank — of a river
  21. craft — a skill
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. drill — army training
  24. wax — for sculpting

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