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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bore — to drill
  3. prune — to trim
  4. prune — to trim
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bass — low music
  23. bore — to tire
  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