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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. dip — to sink
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bore — to tire
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. roll — a cake
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. spring — of water
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. swing — to play on
  12. spring — a coil
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. spring — the season
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. roll — a list
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wax — to grow
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. jam — a tight spot

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