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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. wax — to grow
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mate — a partner
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. ground — crushed
  11. shower — rain
  12. mate — a friend
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mate — to breed
  19. kick — in football
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ground — a position

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