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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wound — an injury
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bore — to drill
  7. pit — in a race
  8. roll — a list
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pitch — completely
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. drill — army training
  16. stand — to bear
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. pit — a hole
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. roll — on a roll

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