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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 116 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bore — to drill
  3. land — a country
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — electric
  7. bore — to tire
  8. land — ground
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. spring — of water
  12. wax — to grow
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. current — of water
  16. chip — to eat
  17. plane — a tool
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bark — to shout
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. spring — the season

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