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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. pop — soda
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. shower — rain
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bear — the animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bore — to tire
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a signal
  20. pop — to visit
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pop — music
  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