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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. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. wax — to grow
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bore — to drill
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. content — happy
  8. shower — rain
  9. press — a publisher
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. club — a group
  15. content — the amount
  16. press — to push
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. press — newspapers
  24. club — for golf

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