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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. stem — to come from
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. file — a tool
  13. bank — for money
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wax — to grow
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. file — a document
  24. rush — hurry

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