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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. foot — a measure
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bore — to drill
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. wind — moving air
  20. season — of the year
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. season — in sport
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. foot — part of the body

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