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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. charge — electricity
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wax — to grow
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bore — to tire
  9. charge — a price
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. charge — in control
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. clip — to cut
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. dip — to sink
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. clip — a video
  24. pitcher — a jug

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