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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. current — of water
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bass — low music
  13. current — happening now
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bore — to drill
  17. current — electric
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. wax — to grow
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. squash — to crush
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. squash — the vegetable

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