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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. press — newspapers
  6. ground — a position
  7. press — to push
  8. ground — the earth
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bore — to drill
  14. race — a contest
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bore — to tire
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cold — the Cold War

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