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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rock — a stone
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. rock — music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. ground — a position
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bore — to tire
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fine — all right
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wax — to grow
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. ground — the earth
  21. fine — high quality
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bore — to drill

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