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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. ground — a position
  4. branch — a division
  5. pitch — completely
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. snap — to click
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. row — a line
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. row — to paddle
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pitch — a sports field

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