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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. wax — to grow
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — of water
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. root — the cause
  9. current — electric
  10. tear — from crying
  11. clip — for paper
  12. root — of a plant
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bore — to drill
  17. clip — a video
  18. tear — from crying
  19. rule — a law
  20. clip — to cut
  21. root — of a word
  22. rule — government
  23. nail — on a finger
  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