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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · deal · bowl · trunk · rule · firm · kid · wax

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. firm — steady
  5. kid — child
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. deal — to handle
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. firm — decided
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. rule — government
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. rule — a law
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. firm — a company
  22. wax — to grow
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rule — to rule out

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