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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. snap — to click
  4. bore — to drill
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bore — to tire
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bear — the animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. drill — a practice
  18. key — in music
  19. wax — to grow
  20. key — the most important part
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bear — the animal
  23. drill — army training
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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