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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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. band — a music group
  4. perch — the fish
  5. ground — a position
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. ground — crushed
  10. band — a ring
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pitcher — a jug

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