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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. spring — the season
  3. wake — a trail
  4. land — to come down
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. land — ground
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bound — certain
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. spring — a coil
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bound — tied together
  18. land — a country
  19. spring — of water
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bat — the animal
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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