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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bat — the animal
  3. suit — clothes
  4. ball — a great time
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. land — ground
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. suit — to fit
  11. root — the cause
  12. ball — a dance
  13. root — of a word
  14. row — to paddle
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. land — a country
  17. land — to come down
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stand — to bear
  20. root — of a plant
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. row — a line
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. wax — to grow

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