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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. ground — the earth
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wax — to grow
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. deal — to handle
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. hand — help
  15. drill — the tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. ground — a position
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a dance
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. ball — a round shape

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