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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wax — to grow
  3. key — in music
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ground — crushed
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. key — the most important part
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. key — for a lock
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ground — a position
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pass — a permit

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