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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bass — low music
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. drill — a practice
  7. game — a match
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wax — to grow
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bass — the fish
  12. drill — army training
  13. bore — to tire
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. firm — decided
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. firm — steady
  19. bore — to drill
  20. firm — a company
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to click

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