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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. hand — help
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. ground — the earth
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. ground — crushed
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. wax — to grow
  18. ground — a position
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. lie — to recline
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. sharp — clever
  24. hand — in cards

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