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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. board — to get on
  8. bore — to tire
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. march — the month
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bore — to drill
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. board — a committee
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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