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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. file — a document
  3. bore — to drill
  4. file — a line of people
  5. file — a tool
  6. bore — to tire
  7. shower — to wash
  8. land — to come down
  9. pop — to visit
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. shower — rain
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pop — soda
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. land — a country
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. land — ground
  24. wax — to grow

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