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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rock — music
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. tear — to rip
  6. ground — crushed
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ground — the earth
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wax — to grow
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chip — to eat
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chip — for betting
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. ground — a position
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. dip — to sink
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wax — in the ear

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