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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. craft — a skill
  3. swing — in golf
  4. drill — army training
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. bat — the animal
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. drill — the tool
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. present — the time now
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. craft — boats
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bore — to drill
  24. drill — a practice

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