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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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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: fall · present · rock · ground · wound · rash · firm · wax

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. wax — to grow
  3. present — there
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — music
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rash — hasty
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wound — an injury
  11. ground — the earth
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rash — a series
  14. rock — a stone
  15. firm — steady
  16. ground — crushed
  17. present — a gift
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. fall — the season
  20. present — the time now
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — a company

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