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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fall — the season
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mug — a face
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fall — to drop
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mug — a cup
  13. shower — to wash
  14. kid — to tease
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bound — certain
  19. shower — rain
  20. wax — to grow
  21. kid — child
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mug — to rob

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