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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. ground — the earth
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — in music
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — an amount
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. foot — a measure
  22. degree — from a university
  23. ground — a position
  24. wax — to grow

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