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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. spell — magic
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. spell — letters
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. cap — a hat
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. wound — an injury
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cap — of ice

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