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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wax — to grow
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. dip — to sink
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. root — the cause
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. current — of water
  15. field — farmland
  16. current — electric
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. root — of a word
  22. root — of a plant
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. current — happening now

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