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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. fall — to drop
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. suit — in cards
  10. ball — a dance
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fall — the season
  15. mine — for digging
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wax — to grow
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. suit — clothes
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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