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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. land — a country
  3. bound — tied together
  4. mark — a grade
  5. land — to come down
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. degree — from a university
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. scale — in music
  11. bound — obliged
  12. degree — an amount
  13. row — a line
  14. degree — temperature
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. row — to paddle
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mark — a trace
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. land — ground
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wax — to grow

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