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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 120 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 would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. spring — the season
  3. wax — to grow
  4. spring — a coil
  5. drill — army training
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bore — to drill
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. drill — the tool
  12. object — an aim
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mark — a trace
  15. deal — to handle
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bore — to tire
  18. object — a thing
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. spring — of water
  24. mark — to pay attention

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