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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rest — a break
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wax — to grow
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fall — the season
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. chair — to sit on

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