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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bore — to drill
  3. stem — to come from
  4. spell — letters
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. snap — to click
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. wax — to grow
  13. bore — to tire
  14. spell — magic
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ruler — for measuring

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