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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. board — to get on
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. spell — letters
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bore — to drill
  8. fall — the season
  9. board — a committee
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spell — a short time
  12. wax — to grow
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bore — to tire
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spell — magic
  24. wax — in the ear

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