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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. scale — size or range
  5. shower — rain
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wax — to grow
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. shower — to wash
  11. scale — in music
  12. bore — to tire
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rush — a thrill

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