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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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468
Word bank
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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. drill — army training
  3. tube — a container
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. degree — from a university
  8. mate — a friend
  9. degree — temperature
  10. tube — the underground
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. land — a country
  13. drill — the tool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bore — to drill
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. degree — an amount
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mate — a partner
  21. land — ground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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