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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. land — to come down
  3. mine — for digging
  4. wound — an injury
  5. drill — army training
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. drill — the tool
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. drill — a practice
  13. land — a country
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bear — the animal
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. land — ground
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. mug — a cup

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