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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. craft — a skill
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. spring — of water
  5. ground — a position
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pop — soda
  8. present — there
  9. pop — music
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pop — to visit
  12. cue — a hint
  13. drill — the tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. ground — the earth
  16. craft — boats
  17. spring — the season
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. drill — a practice
  20. cue — a signal
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. present — a gift
  23. drill — army training
  24. present — the time now

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