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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mate — a partner
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fine — all right
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bore — to drill
  12. fine — high quality
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wax — to grow
  22. snap — to click
  23. bear — the animal
  24. drill — army training

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