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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bore — to drill
  4. root — of a word
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. chest — a box
  13. cap — of ice
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. lie — to recline
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. bore — to tire
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. kick — in football
  24. chest — of your body

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