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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. chip — to eat
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. lean — thin
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. chip — for betting
  7. lean — to bend
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wax — to grow
  13. rule — government
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rule — a law
  17. hand — help
  18. prune — to trim
  19. ground — the earth
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. ground — a position
  24. prune — to trim

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