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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. staff — employees
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — the season
  7. bass — the fish
  8. staff — a stick
  9. deal — to handle
  10. object — an aim
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — government
  16. spring — a coil
  17. wax — to grow
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. bass — low music
  21. object — to protest
  22. staff — employees
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. object — a thing

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