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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stem — to come from
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. drill — a practice
  5. last — final
  6. bore — to tire
  7. hand — help
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. last — to go on
  11. bore — to drill
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wax — to grow
  15. drill — the tool
  16. swing — to play on
  17. hand — in cards
  18. swing — music
  19. drill — army training
  20. last — finally
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. object — a thing
  24. wax — in the ear

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