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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — a country
  3. object — a thing
  4. bore — to tire
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bore — to drill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. mate — a partner
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a line of people
  12. tube — a container
  13. mate — to breed
  14. object — to protest
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. object — an aim
  19. file — a document
  20. tube — the underground
  21. saw — the tool
  22. land — ground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. wax — to grow

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