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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. club — a group
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. drill — army training
  6. club — for golf
  7. ground — crushed
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ground — the earth
  10. fine — all right
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fine — high quality
  13. drill — a practice
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. pitch — completely
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wax — to grow
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ground — a position
  24. club — for dancing

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