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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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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: wax · hand · row · pit · ground · field · ruler · mate

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. ground — the earth
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wax — to grow
  6. row — a line
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. mate — to breed
  9. field — a subject
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. ground — a position
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. field — farmland
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mate — a partner
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. field — for sport
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. pit — a hole
  24. hand — help

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