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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ground — crushed
  8. kick — in football
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pit — in a race
  17. wound — an injury
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bass — low music
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. pit — a hole
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. temple — a place of worship

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