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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. wax — to grow
  11. squash — to crush
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. track — a song
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. foot — a measure
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. squash — the sport
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — a break

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