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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 116 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: sharp · stand · ball · drill · ground · clip · stick · wax

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. ball — a great time
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. clip — to cut
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. stand — to bear
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. drill — army training
  14. ground — a position
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ground — the earth
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. drill — the tool
  21. clip — a video
  22. ground — crushed
  23. sharp — clever
  24. wax — to grow

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