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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. squash — to crush
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. squash — the sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chip — to eat
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wax — to grow
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. land — a country
  18. chip — for betting
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. land — ground
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. land — to come down
  24. wind — moving air

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