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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bore — to tire
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. cue — for pool
  7. root — of a plant
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. root — the cause
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. cue — a signal
  13. field — farmland
  14. bore — to drill
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. root — of a word
  17. mine — for digging
  18. 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