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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. roll — a list
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wind — moving air
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. tube — the underground
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. row — a line
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. tube — a container
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. rock — a stone
  19. rock — music
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. roll — a cake
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. row — to paddle

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