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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. plane — a tool
  3. cold — not warm
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. land — a country
  6. can — a tin
  7. land — ground
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. lie — to recline
  12. kick — in football
  13. band — a ring
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. band — a music group
  19. wax — to grow
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — to come down
  24. wax — in the ear

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