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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. wax — to grow
  12. staff — a stick
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. staff — employees
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bark — to shout
  20. staff — employees
  21. ground — a position
  22. kick — in football
  23. stand — to bear
  24. sharp — with an edge

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