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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. hand — help
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mine — for digging
  9. cold — not warm
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. swing — to play on
  15. staff — employees
  16. swing — music
  17. bore — to tire
  18. staff — employees
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. cold — an illness
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mine — belonging to me
  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