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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bulb — for light
  7. present — there
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bore — to tire
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bore — to drill
  13. can — a tin
  14. present — the time now
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bulb — for light
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. present — a gift
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. staff — employees

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