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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 moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. bore — to tire
  3. tube — a container
  4. bulb — for light
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bulb — for light
  9. ground — crushed
  10. shower — rain
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. staff — employees
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. tube — the underground
  17. staff — employees
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bore — to drill
  21. branch — a division
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. ground — a position
  24. branch — of a tree

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