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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. drill — a practice
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wound — an injury
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. ground — the earth
  14. drill — the tool
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. drill — army training
  17. swing — to play on
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wound — an injury
  24. ground — a position

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