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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bore — to drill
  3. cue — a hint
  4. board — to get on
  5. fall — to drop
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. content — happy
  8. cue — a signal
  9. board — a committee
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fall — to drop
  12. content — the amount
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to tire
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. cue — for pool
  17. fall — the season
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. leaves — of a tree

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