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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. ground — a position
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. ground — the earth
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pop — to visit
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ground — crushed
  10. wax — to grow
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. tube — a container
  16. branch — a division
  17. tube — the underground
  18. chest — of your body
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. chest — a box
  24. branch — of a tree

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