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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. spring — of water
  7. drill — the tool
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. spring — a coil
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. spring — the season
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. stock — shares
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bore — to drill
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. lie — to recline
  21. drill — army training
  22. scale — size or range
  23. stock — goods
  24. wax — in the ear

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