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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. present — there
  2. land — to come down
  3. bound — certain
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. mark — a grade
  6. present — the time now
  7. mine — for digging
  8. wax — to grow
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bound — tied together
  13. board — to get on
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mark — a trace
  17. prune — to trim
  18. board — a committee
  19. land — a country
  20. present — a gift
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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