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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. object — an aim
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bear — the animal
  7. club — for golf
  8. charge — a price
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bear — the animal
  13. club — a group
  14. charge — electricity
  15. drill — a practice
  16. club — for dancing
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. charge — in control
  19. object — a thing
  20. drill — army training
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. object — to protest
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. calf — of the leg

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