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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. row — a line
  3. wax — to grow
  4. current — happening now
  5. spell — a short time
  6. land — a country
  7. spell — letters
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pop — music
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. current — of water
  14. land — ground
  15. suit — to fit
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. spell — magic
  19. land — to come down
  20. pop — soda
  21. current — electric
  22. suit — clothes
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pop — to visit

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