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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. shower — to wash
  5. shower — rain
  6. spring — the season
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cap — a lid
  14. wax — to grow
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. spring — of water
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bore — to tire
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wax — in the ear

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