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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wound — an injury
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cold — not warm
  11. drill — army training
  12. rash — a series
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. cold — an illness
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — hasty
  21. ground — a position
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bulb — for light
  24. wax — for sculpting

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