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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. file — a document
  5. bound — tied together
  6. land — ground
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. march — the month
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. march — music
  14. land — a country
  15. march — the month
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. mug — to rob
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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