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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 120 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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wax — to grow
  10. degree — temperature
  11. band — a ring
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. degree — an amount
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. degree — from a university
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. band — a music group
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — to dunk

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