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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. present — there
  4. land — to come down
  5. ground — crushed
  6. land — ground
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. present — the time now
  10. game — a match
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. ground — the earth
  13. lean — thin
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. land — a country
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. present — a gift
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wax — to grow
  24. leaves — to go away

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