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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. land — to come down
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. charge — in control
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. roll — a list
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. charge — electricity
  17. last — to go on
  18. charge — a price
  19. wound — an injury
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. land — ground

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