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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wound — an injury
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wax — to grow
  6. suit — in cards
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. kid — child
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. land — a country
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. land — to come down
  19. suit — to fit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. suit — clothes
  23. land — ground
  24. jam — a tight spot

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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