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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bore — to drill
  3. game — a match
  4. squash — to crush
  5. drill — army training
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wax — to grow
  8. press — newspapers
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. drill — the tool
  11. squash — the sport
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mark — a trace
  14. bore — to tire
  15. drill — a practice
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. game — wild animals
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. mark — a grade
  22. press — to push
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mate — a partner

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