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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wax — to grow
  3. land — a country
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bank — of a river
  7. bank — for money
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. bark — to shout
  12. field — for sport
  13. bore — to tire
  14. field — a subject
  15. hand — help
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bank — for money
  19. land — ground
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. field — farmland
  22. land — to come down
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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