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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. land — a country
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bank — for money
  6. capital — money
  7. land — ground
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bank — for money
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. game — wild animals
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. capital — a city
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. game — a match
  19. wax — to grow
  20. land — to come down
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bank — of a river
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wax — for sculpting

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