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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 124 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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. ground — a position
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wax — to grow
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ground — crushed
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — in cards
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wound — an injury
  19. tear — from crying
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. ground — the earth
  23. hand — help
  24. tear — to rip

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