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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. track — a path
  8. net — for catching
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. press — to push
  11. net — after costs
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. club — for golf
  14. track — to keep track
  15. club — a group
  16. net — in sport
  17. track — a song
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wax — to grow
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. wax — for sculpting

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