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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bore — to drill
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. game — a match
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bore — to tire
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. game — wild animals
  11. wax — to grow
  12. lean — to bend
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. branch — a division
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. lean — thin
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. calf — a young animal

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