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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cap — a lid
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — the month
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. cap — of ice
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bore — to tire
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. march — the month
  16. rock — a stone
  17. cue — a hint
  18. cap — a hat
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cue — a signal
  22. march — music
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wax — to grow

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