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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — a position
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. can — a tin
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wax — to grow
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. branch — a division
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. game — wild animals
  16. face — to point toward
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — to confront
  20. can — a tin
  21. ground — the earth
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. can — to be able to

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