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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. staff — employees
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. current — electric
  6. staff — employees
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ground — a position
  9. bore — to tire
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. court — of law
  16. bore — to drill
  17. staff — a stick
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wax — to grow
  23. court — for sport
  24. court — of a king

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