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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fall — the season
  4. bear — the animal
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. shower — rain
  7. branch — a division
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. chair — a leader
  13. ground — a position
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. fall — to drop
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. shower — to wash
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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