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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · bat · hide · mine · wax · mouse · ground · bark

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bat — the animal
  3. ground — a position
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. mine — for digging
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. ground — the earth
  24. mouse — the animal

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