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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. land — a country
  3. face — to point toward
  4. roll — a cake
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. track — a path
  8. face — part of the head
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. land — to come down
  11. face — to confront
  12. roll — a list
  13. saw — the tool
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. track — to keep track
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. track — a song
  21. land — ground
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mouse — the animal

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