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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: ground · wax · shower · stick · chest · date · scale · hide

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. ground — crushed
  6. date — the fruit
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. scale — size or range
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. scale — in music
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. shower — rain
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — to grow
  22. ground — a position
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. date — on the calendar

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