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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. chair — a leader
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. wax — to grow
  5. land — to come down
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. press — to push
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. content — the amount
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. land — ground
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. drill — the tool
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. trunk — of a car

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