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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mark — a grade
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spell — letters
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. spell — magic
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. wax — to grow
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — to drill
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. mark — a trace
  24. deal — an agreement

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