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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. wax — for sculpting
  2. staff — employees
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wax — to grow
  8. squash — the sport
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. game — a match
  13. bore — to tire
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. squash — to crush
  16. staff — a stick
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. game — wild animals
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. staff — employees
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mine — for digging
  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