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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. shower — rain
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bore — to tire
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lean — thin
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bear — the animal
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wax — to grow
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. saw — the tool

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