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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bore — to drill
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. lean — thin
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. chair — a leader
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. wax — to grow
  21. tube — the underground
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. toast — bread

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