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

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. court — for sport
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. stand — to bear
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — for betting
  13. court — of a king
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wax — to grow
  17. court — of law
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. branch — a division
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. ground — the earth

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