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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. spell — letters
  3. wax — to grow
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mug — to rob
  6. rash — a series
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. spell — magic
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mug — a face
  11. land — ground
  12. craft — boats
  13. spell — a short time
  14. land — to come down
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rash — hasty
  17. chest — a box
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mug — a cup
  23. craft — a skill
  24. deal — to handle

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