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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bore — to drill
  6. fine — high quality
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rush — hurry
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. current — of water
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bore — to tire
  17. mate — to breed
  18. bass — low music
  19. current — happening now
  20. fine — all right
  21. current — electric
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bass — the fish

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