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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bore — to tire
  3. club — for golf
  4. bore — to drill
  5. last — final
  6. wax — to grow
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. track — a song
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. last — to go on
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. club — a group
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. last — finally
  19. bass — low music
  20. track — to keep track
  21. branch — a division
  22. track — a path
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stand — for spectators

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