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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. capital — money
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bear — the animal
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. capital — a city
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mark — to pay attention

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