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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wax — to grow
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. ground — the earth
  8. capital — money
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. can — a tin
  14. capital — a city
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. can — a tin
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. snap — to click
  21. sharp — clever
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. ground — crushed
  24. capital — a big letter

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