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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. current — happening now
  4. rule — a law
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rule — government
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. wound — an injury
  11. land — ground
  12. wax — to grow
  13. current — of water
  14. craft — boats
  15. bear — the animal
  16. land — to come down
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. current — electric
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bound — obliged
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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