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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bore — to tire
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wax — to grow
  7. deal — to handle
  8. tube — the underground
  9. content — happy
  10. bulb — for light
  11. branch — a division
  12. mate — to breed
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. tube — a container
  19. content — the amount
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bore — to drill
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bulb — for light

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