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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. ground — the earth
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. ground — a position
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cold — not warm
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cold — an illness
  13. degree — temperature
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. hand — in cards
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. degree — from a university
  22. wax — to grow
  23. degree — an amount
  24. ground — crushed

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