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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. pound — a weight
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. drill — army training
  9. ground — the earth
  10. drill — the tool
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. shower — rain
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. band — a music group
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. band — a ring
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wax — to grow
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. band — a rubber band

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