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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 124 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. board — a committee
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wax — to grow
  6. squash — to crush
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. squash — the sport
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kid — to tease
  14. stem — to come from
  15. board — to get on
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. kid — child
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. squash — the vegetable

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