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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. content — the amount
  6. land — to come down
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. hand — help
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. content — happy
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. land — ground
  23. wax — to grow
  24. hand — part of the body

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