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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. net — for catching
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bank — for money
  8. ground — crushed
  9. bank — for money
  10. kick — in football
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. net — in sport
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bank — of a river
  17. ground — the earth
  18. degree — from a university
  19. degree — temperature
  20. net — after costs
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. degree — an amount
  24. wax — to grow

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