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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. track — a song
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. board — to get on
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. board — a committee
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wax — to grow
  14. dip — to sink
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. bore — to tire
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. land — a country
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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