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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. ground — crushed
  6. present — the time now
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. fork — in a road
  9. present — there
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. chest — a box
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chest — of your body
  17. branch — a division
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. ground — the earth
  22. present — a gift
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wax — to grow

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