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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bore — to drill
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. squash — the sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bore — to tire
  14. squash — to crush
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wax — to grow
  17. season — in sport
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. face — to confront
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. wax — in the ear

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