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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bound — obliged
  8. season — of the year
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mark — a trace
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bound — certain
  14. mark — a grade
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. wax — to grow
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. perch — the fish
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bore — to tire
  24. season — in sport

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