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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rock — music
  6. pass — a permit
  7. wax — to grow
  8. content — happy
  9. bore — to drill
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stand — to bear
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bore — to tire
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rock — a stone
  20. shower — rain
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stand — for spectators

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