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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rush — hurry
  4. season — in sport
  5. rule — government
  6. bound — certain
  7. season — of the year
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rule — a law
  14. bulb — for light
  15. tube — the underground
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bound — obliged
  20. tube — a container
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. bore — to drill
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rush — a thrill

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