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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. row — to paddle
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. row — a line
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. shower — to wash
  11. drill — a practice
  12. band — a music group
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. shower — rain
  16. band — a ring
  17. kick — in football
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bore — to tire
  23. band — a rubber band
  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