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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. wound — an injury
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. deal — to handle
  10. present — a gift
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pit — a hole
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wax — to grow
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bore — to drill
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. present — there
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. present — the time now

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