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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. land — a country
  3. object — to protest
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mug — to rob
  6. land — to come down
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. squash — to crush
  10. spell — magic
  11. object — an aim
  12. wax — to grow
  13. drill — army training
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. drill — the tool
  18. branch — a division
  19. land — ground
  20. mug — a face
  21. mug — a cup
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wax — for sculpting

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