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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — a thing
  6. rash — hasty
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. rash — a series
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. can — a tin
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fine — high quality
  16. board — a committee
  17. land — to come down
  18. can — a tin
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fine — all right
  22. object — an aim
  23. land — ground
  24. can — to be able to

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