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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cold — an illness
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cold — not warm
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. cue — a hint
  12. staff — employees
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bore — to drill
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. staff — employees
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. staff — a stick
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cue — a signal
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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