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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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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. scale — size or range
  3. tube — a container
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. rule — a law
  8. spell — letters
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bore — to drill
  12. spell — a short time
  13. rule — government
  14. lean — thin
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. scale — in music
  17. spell — magic
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. lean — to bend
  20. kid — child
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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