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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. cold — an illness
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. track — a path
  12. track — a song
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cold — not warm
  18. spell — letters
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. spell — magic
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wax — to grow
  24. spell — a short time

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