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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. present — the time now
  4. roll — a cake
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. present — there
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wake — a trail
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. scale — in music
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. scale — size or range
  20. present — a gift
  21. roll — a list
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bore — to drill

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