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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rest — what's left
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. rash — hasty
  13. ground — a position
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rash — a series
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rest — a break
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. deal — to handle
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. lie — to recline

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