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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. land — a country
  3. content — happy
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rock — a stone
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. land — ground
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. land — to come down
  16. band — a ring
  17. content — the amount
  18. wax — to grow
  19. band — a music group
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rock — music
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wax — in the ear

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