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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. ground — crushed
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fine — high quality
  5. ground — a position
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. firm — steady
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. firm — decided
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. band — a ring
  15. land — a country
  16. ground — the earth
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. firm — a company
  19. land — ground
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. band — a music group
  22. pass — a permit
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. wax — to grow

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