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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. march — the month
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bore — to drill
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. band — a music group
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. march — music
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. dip — to sink
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bore — to tire
  21. march — the month
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. band — a ring
  24. saw — the tool

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