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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bore — to tire
  5. saw — the tool
  6. band — a music group
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. club — a group
  9. prune — to trim
  10. saw — the tool
  11. prune — to trim
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. band — a ring
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bore — to drill
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wax — to grow
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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