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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. ground — the earth
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. net — in sport
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. cold — an illness
  11. cold — not warm
  12. wax — to grow
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ball — a great time
  16. net — after costs
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. net — for catching
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cold — the Cold War

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