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

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bore — to tire
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. last — final
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. field — a subject
  13. shower — rain
  14. bore — to drill
  15. last — finally
  16. last — to go on
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. field — for sport
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. shower — to wash

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