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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. ground — the earth
  3. current — happening now
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. bore — to drill
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stock — shares
  10. current — electric
  11. ground — crushed
  12. wake — a trail
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. current — of water
  18. stock — goods
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. ground — a position
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wax — to grow

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