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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cold — not warm
  3. bulb — for light
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bear — the animal
  6. track — a path
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pound — a weight
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cold — an illness
  22. track — a song
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bore — gave birth

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