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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. land — ground
  3. wax — to grow
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. band — a music group
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. land — a country
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. band — a ring
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. pit — in a race
  16. land — to come down
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. mine — for digging
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. key — in music
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. key — for a lock

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