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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. shower — rain
  4. cap — a lid
  5. ground — crushed
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. wax — to grow
  8. key — for a lock
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. cap — of ice
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. ground — a position
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. key — the most important part
  19. shower — to wash
  20. key — in music
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cap — a hat
  24. ground — the earth

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