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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. rock — a stone
  5. ball — a great time
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. shower — rain
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rock — music
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. court — for sport
  13. land — to come down
  14. court — of a king
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. court — of law
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wax — to grow
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. shower — to wash
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. land — ground

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