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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. degree — temperature
  3. drill — army training
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. club — for golf
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. perch — the fish
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bore — to tire
  15. club — for dancing
  16. club — a group
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mine — for digging
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wax — to grow
  22. bore — to drill
  23. drill — the tool
  24. perch — for a bird

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