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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bore — to drill
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pass — a permit
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hand — help
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. ground — a position
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bore — to tire
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. jam — a tight spot

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