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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lie — to recline
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. land — a country
  7. land — ground
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bore — to tire
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. drill — army training
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. drill — the tool
  14. land — to come down
  15. rash — a series
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wax — to grow
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rash — hasty

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