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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bore — to drill
  6. spring — the season
  7. land — a country
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — to grow
  10. spring — a coil
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. key — the most important part
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. spring — of water
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. last — to go on
  21. key — in music
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bore — to tire

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