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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. ground — the earth
  6. game — a match
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. shower — rain
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ground — a position
  18. present — there
  19. saw — the tool
  20. present — a gift
  21. game — wild animals
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. present — the time now

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