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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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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: kid · stick · drill · ground · wax · perch · rule · hand

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. drill — army training
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. rule — a law
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ground — the earth
  13. hand — help
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — a position
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kid — child
  18. rule — government
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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