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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wax — to grow
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bass — low music
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bore — to drill
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. mine — for digging

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