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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. land — ground
  7. chest — a box
  8. land — a country
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. chest — of your body
  11. scale — in music
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. scale — size or range
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cabinet — ministers

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