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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bore — to drill
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. march — the month
  8. track — a song
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. net — in sport
  11. net — after costs
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. net — for catching
  17. track — a path
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bore — to tire

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