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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — hurry
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. hand — in cards
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. toast — bread
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. toast — the most admired

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