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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. scale — in music
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. ground — crushed
  6. scale — size or range
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. ground — a position
  16. tube — the underground
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mate — to breed

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