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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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. stand — to bear
  4. bear — the animal
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. shower — rain
  11. bat — the animal
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. sharp — clever
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. shower — to wash
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bear — the animal
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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