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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. board — a committee
  5. wound — an injury
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wound — an injury
  8. board — to get on
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. track — a path
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rash — a series
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. rash — hasty
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wake — a trail
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. track — a song
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wax — in the ear

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