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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rash — a series
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cap — a hat
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. land — ground
  14. bulb — for light
  15. land — to come down
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wax — to grow
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bore — to tire

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