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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. track — a song
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. track — a path
  9. game — a match
  10. bound — certain
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bound — obliged
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bear — the animal
  18. land — a country
  19. bound — tied together
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. ground — a position
  24. track — to keep track

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