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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: mine · ground · leaves · arm · row · wax · chip · present

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. present — the time now
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — crushed
  14. present — a gift
  15. mine — for digging
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. row — a line
  20. row — to paddle
  21. present — there
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. ground — a position
  24. arm — a part of something

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