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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. club — for golf
  3. spring — a coil
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mate — a friend
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mate — a partner
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mate — to breed
  15. wax — to grow
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — the season
  18. club — a group
  19. kid — child
  20. mine — for digging
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. bore — to drill

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