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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 120 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mine — for digging
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wax — to grow
  6. chair — a leader
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. ball — a dance
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — gave birth

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