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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. ground — a position
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. last — to go on
  10. land — ground
  11. wax — to grow
  12. land — a country
  13. lean — to bend
  14. last — finally
  15. ground — crushed
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ground — the earth
  20. last — final
  21. bear — the animal
  22. land — to come down
  23. lean — thin
  24. bear — the animal

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