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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. firm — a company
  3. ground — crushed
  4. shower — to wash
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. snap — to click
  7. firm — steady
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. shower — rain
  10. firm — decided
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. game — a match
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. wax — to grow
  15. game — wild animals
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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