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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 124 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. file — a tool
  4. current — happening now
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. current — electric
  8. file — a document
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. wax — to grow
  14. clip — a video
  15. current — of water
  16. ground — crushed
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. hide — to keep secret

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