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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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 — the earth
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. ground — a position
  10. tear — to rip
  11. kid — child
  12. scale — size or range
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. scale — in music
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wax — to grow
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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