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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bore — to drill
  3. saw — the tool
  4. staff — a stick
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pop — soda
  8. tear — from crying
  9. saw — the tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. wax — to grow
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. staff — employees
  15. branch — a division
  16. bore — to tire
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. mine — for digging
  19. staff — employees
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. pop — music

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