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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. land — ground
  6. cue — a hint
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. land — a country
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. bore — to tire
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cell — in biology
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pound — a weight
  22. wax — to grow
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. land — to come down

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