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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — a position
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. tube — the underground
  7. drill — a practice
  8. suit — in cards
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wax — to grow
  13. suit — to fit
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. stock — goods
  16. bear — the animal
  17. squash — the sport
  18. drill — the tool
  19. tube — a container
  20. bear — the animal
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stock — shares
  23. suit — clothes
  24. tube — in a tire

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