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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. object — to protest
  3. root — of a word
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. firm — decided
  9. net — after costs
  10. land — ground
  11. firm — a company
  12. object — a thing
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. firm — steady
  15. net — for catching
  16. root — the cause
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lie — to recline
  19. land — a country
  20. mine — for digging
  21. root — of a plant
  22. object — an aim
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wax — for sculpting

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