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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 museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wax — to grow
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — for digging
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. bore — to tire
  19. row — a line
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. staff — employees
  23. spell — magic
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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