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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. spell — magic
  3. bank — for money
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. spell — a short time
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. bank — of a river
  10. cue — a hint
  11. land — to come down
  12. cue — a signal
  13. spell — letters
  14. face — to point toward
  15. row — to paddle
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cue — for pool
  18. wax — to grow
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — a line
  21. bank — for money
  22. land — ground
  23. face — to confront
  24. pound — to hit hard

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