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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bore — to drill
  5. field — farmland
  6. mine — for digging
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. net — for catching
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. field — a subject
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. net — in sport
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bore — to tire
  20. field — for sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. coach — a trainer

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