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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.

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: hand · ground · hide · race · wax · bass · lie · toast

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. race — humankind
  3. ground — crushed
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. ground — the earth
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. toast — bread
  8. lie — to recline
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. hand — help
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. race — the arms race
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. race — a contest
  17. bass — low music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ground — a position
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hide — to keep secret

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