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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  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. cue — for pool
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bore — to tire
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rest — what's left
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. cue — a hint
  10. lean — thin
  11. march — the month
  12. rest — a break
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. march — music
  15. bass — low music
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. wax — to grow
  18. march — the month
  19. bass — the fish
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. cue — a signal
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rest — what's left
  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