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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 120 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. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. sharp — clever
  4. drill — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rule — government
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wax — to grow
  13. drill — army training
  14. snap — to click
  15. prune — to trim
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — a position
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. stand — to bear
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rule — a law
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. drill — a practice

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