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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. wax — in the ear
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. file — a line of people
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. file — a tool
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. drill — army training
  9. ground — a position
  10. deal — to handle
  11. pop — music
  12. drill — the tool
  13. squash — to crush
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. squash — the sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. file — a document
  23. drill — a practice
  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