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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  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. dip — to dunk
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. last — to go on
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. ground — a position
  13. wax — to grow
  14. last — final
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bore — to tire
  17. last — finally
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. pop — music
  20. dip — to sink
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bore — to drill
  23. pop — soda
  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