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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. can — a tin
  10. wax — to grow
  11. can — to be able to
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. last — final
  15. staff — employees
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bore — to tire
  18. can — a tin
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. staff — a stick
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. wax — in the ear
  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