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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 120 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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. foot — a measure
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chest — of your body
  15. ground — the earth
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bore — to drill
  24. face — to confront

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