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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: ground · firm · drill · wax · leaves · straw · mark · pop

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. ground — crushed
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. drill — a practice
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pop — to visit
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. mark — a trace
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. firm — steady
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wax — to grow
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. firm — a company
  22. drill — army training
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. drill — the tool

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