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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. saw — the tool
  6. ground — a position
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pit — in a race
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. dip — to sink
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. saw — the tool
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bore — to drill
  17. ground — the earth
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pit — a hole

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