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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rash — a series
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. cap — a hat
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bore — to tire
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wind — moving air
  24. club — for golf

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