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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 116 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wax — to grow
  3. club — for golf
  4. drill — a practice
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. club — a group
  7. bore — to drill
  8. shower — to wash
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. bore — to tire
  14. firm — decided
  15. shower — rain
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — steady
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. drill — the tool
  24. club — for dancing

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