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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bore — to tire
  4. fall — the season
  5. mine — for digging
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mug — a cup
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. game — a match
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wax — to grow
  17. band — a music group
  18. bore — to drill
  19. band — a ring
  20. mug — to rob
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mug — a face
  23. lean — thin
  24. wax — in the ear

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