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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. last — finally
  3. tear — from crying
  4. march — music
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. last — to go on
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. march — the month
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wax — to grow
  11. tear — from crying
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. ground — a position
  14. ground — the earth
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. march — the month
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ground — crushed
  20. last — final
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tear — to rip

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