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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. land — a country
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. track — a song
  6. object — to protest
  7. wax — to grow
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. track — to keep track
  11. branch — a division
  12. land — to come down
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. land — ground
  15. object — an aim
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. track — a path
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. object — a thing
  22. bound — certain
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mine — an explosive

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