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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. land — a country
  4. stock — shares
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mine — for digging
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rest — what's left
  9. foot — a measure
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cap — of ice
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. land — ground
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. rest — a break
  19. land — to come down
  20. stock — goods
  21. cap — a lid
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wax — to grow
  24. stock — a soup base

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