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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 124 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. object — to protest
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. march — the month
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bore — to tire
  9. march — the month
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bore — to drill
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. key — in music
  16. wax — to grow
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. march — music
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. coach — a trainer

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