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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. wax — to grow
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mine — for digging
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. cap — a hat
  17. kick — in football
  18. bore — to drill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bore — to tire
  24. fan — a supporter

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