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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wound — an injury
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. game — a match
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. wax — to grow
  14. ground — a position
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. dip — to sink

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