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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. land — a country
  4. mug — a face
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pop — to visit
  7. land — ground
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pop — music
  11. plane — a tool
  12. mug — to rob
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. club — for golf
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. wax — to grow
  18. land — to come down
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. club — for dancing
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. club — a group
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pop — soda

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