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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. land — ground
  3. ground — the earth
  4. row — a line
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. suit — clothes
  7. ground — a position
  8. land — a country
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. land — to come down
  14. suit — to fit
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. suit — in cards
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. net — after costs
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. pound — a weight
  22. net — for catching
  23. row — to paddle
  24. net — in sport

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