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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 116 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wax — to grow
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. rock — music
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bound — obliged
  12. ball — a dance
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. rock — a stone
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. rush — a thrill

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