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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. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. rule — government
  3. tube — a container
  4. wax — to grow
  5. perch — the fish
  6. ground — a position
  7. tear — to rip
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — the underground
  11. rule — a law
  12. bark — to shout
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ground — the earth
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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