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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. wax — to grow
  11. lie — to recline
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bore — to drill
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stand — to bear
  18. squash — to crush
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wax — for sculpting

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