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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — all right
  4. pass — a permit
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bore — to drill
  9. tear — from crying
  10. chest — a box
  11. fine — high quality
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. row — a line
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. tear — to rip
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wake — a trail
  21. chest — of your body
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. pass — to succeed

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