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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. wax — to grow
  6. wind — moving air
  7. suit — in cards
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. staff — employees
  11. bore — to tire
  12. staff — a stick
  13. bore — to drill
  14. suit — to fit
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. suit — clothes
  17. staff — employees
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mine — for digging

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