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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. land — ground
  6. fall — the season
  7. pit — in a race
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fall — to drop
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bound — tied together
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bound — certain
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wind — moving air
  19. land — a country
  20. bound — obliged
  21. land — to come down
  22. wax — to grow
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fall — to drop

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