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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. key — in music
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. ground — crushed
  8. key — the most important part
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. snap — to click
  13. bear — the animal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. track — a song
  16. lean — to bend
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. lean — thin
  22. shower — rain
  23. key — for a lock
  24. shower — to wash

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