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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cell — a phone
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. clip — to cut
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. drill — a practice
  10. clip — a video
  11. bore — to drill
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. chip — for betting
  14. spell — magic
  15. clip — for paper
  16. spell — letters
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chip — to eat
  21. drill — army training
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bore — gave birth

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