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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. wax — to grow
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. tear — to rip
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. squash — the sport
  12. land — to come down
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. firm — a company
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. land — a country
  18. ground — a position
  19. cold — an illness
  20. ground — crushed
  21. firm — steady
  22. land — ground
  23. firm — decided
  24. rush — hurry

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