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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. rest — a break
  3. season — in sport
  4. land — ground
  5. object — an aim
  6. rest — what's left
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. can — a tin
  11. land — to come down
  12. pound — a weight
  13. object — a thing
  14. tube — a container
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. can — a tin
  18. land — a country
  19. season — of the year
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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