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

Word bank: ball · wax · firm · stick · deal · ground · pop · cell

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pop — music
  3. firm — steady
  4. pop — soda
  5. firm — a company
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. pop — to visit
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. ground — a position
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. firm — decided
  20. ground — the earth
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. ball — a great time

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