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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pop — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. mine — for digging
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pop — soda
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bore — to drill
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. date — the fruit
  19. lean — to bend
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wax — for sculpting

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