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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. saw — the tool
  12. season — in sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ground — crushed
  24. season — of the year

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