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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. current — of water
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bear — the animal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. lie — to recline
  10. tube — the underground
  11. current — electric
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. kick — in football
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. tube — a container
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. current — happening now

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