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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 116 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. firm — decided
  5. mark — a grade
  6. firm — a company
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. clip — to cut
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wax — to grow
  12. clip — a video
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. mark — a trace
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. firm — steady
  18. clip — for paper
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. bore — to drill
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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