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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 120 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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. land — ground
  3. land — a country
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. lie — to recline
  9. spring — a coil
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. pound — a weight
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. land — to come down
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pound — for dogs

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