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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. land — ground
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bark — to shout
  10. land — a country
  11. game — a match
  12. file — a line of people
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. land — to come down
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a document
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. safe — a strongbox

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