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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. date — the fruit
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. present — a gift
  10. bore — to tire
  11. ball — a dance
  12. shower — to wash
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. present — there
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bore — to drill
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. present — the time now
  23. shower — rain
  24. rush — to 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