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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. drill — the tool
  9. roll — a cake
  10. land — to come down
  11. drill — a practice
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — a signal
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. drill — army training
  22. roll — a list
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wax — to grow

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