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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. suit — in cards
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. spell — magic
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stock — goods
  10. spell — a short time
  11. kid — child
  12. spell — letters
  13. mate — a friend
  14. suit — clothes
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — of the year
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wax — to grow
  19. stock — shares
  20. mate — a partner
  21. kid — to tease
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bore — to drill

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