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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mine — for digging
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. drill — army training
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wax — to grow
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rule — a law
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cold — not warm

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