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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — to cut
  5. last — to go on
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. roll — a cake
  10. clip — a video
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. last — finally
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. last — final
  17. bore — to tire
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. roll — a list
  22. chair — a leader
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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