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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. rule — government
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. land — to come down
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. press — newspapers
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. wax — to grow
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. spring — the season
  13. rule — a law
  14. mate — a friend
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. spell — a short time
  20. press — to push
  21. land — ground
  22. spell — letters
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. spell — magic

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