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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bat — the animal
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lie — to recline
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitch — completely
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. scale — in music
  24. bore — gave birth

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