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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. content — happy
  3. pop — soda
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pop — music
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bore — to drill
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — the amount
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bore — to tire
  22. prune — to trim
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fan — a supporter

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