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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bore — to drill
  8. last — finally
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — tied together
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. last — to go on
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. present — a gift
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bound — obliged
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. perch — the fish

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