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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. bore — to tire
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. key — for a lock
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. key — in music
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. key — the most important part
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bore — to drill
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fall — the season
  20. shower — rain
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wax — to grow
  24. hide — to keep secret

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