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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pass — a permit
  11. clip — for paper
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. clip — to cut
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. clip — a video
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. season — of the year
  21. kid — to tease
  22. season — in sport
  23. kid — child
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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