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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. land — to come down
  3. ground — crushed
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. land — ground
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. land — a country
  23. wake — a trail
  24. bound — certain

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