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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. file — a tool
  3. root — of a word
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — to come down
  7. mark — a grade
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wax — to grow
  11. land — a country
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. file — a document
  16. pit — in a race
  17. root — the cause
  18. land — ground
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — a weight
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pound — to hit hard

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