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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bore — to tire
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wax — to grow
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. drill — a practice
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. drill — the tool

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