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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. wind — moving air
  3. firm — steady
  4. plane — a tool
  5. land — a country
  6. rule — a law
  7. land — ground
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. firm — a company
  13. rule — government
  14. firm — decided
  15. race — the arms race
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. land — to come down
  19. race — a contest
  20. wind — moving air
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. race — humankind
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cell — a phone

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