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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bore — to tire
  3. can — a tin
  4. cap — a hat
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. date — the fruit
  10. staff — a stick
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. can — a tin
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. cap — a lid
  16. can — to be able to
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wax — to grow
  20. staff — employees
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. cap — of ice

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