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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mark — a grade
  4. race — humankind
  5. bear — the animal
  6. last — finally
  7. lean — thin
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. last — final
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. race — the arms race
  14. last — to go on
  15. bore — to tire
  16. stock — shares
  17. bear — the animal
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stock — goods
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mark — a trace
  23. race — a contest
  24. bear — to put up with

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