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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. mate — a friend
  3. ground — the earth
  4. tube — a container
  5. spring — the season
  6. mate — a partner
  7. ground — crushed
  8. track — to keep track
  9. spring — of water
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. spring — a coil
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lean — thin
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. track — a path
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. wax — to grow
  21. track — a song
  22. lean — to bend
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lean — to rest against

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