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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. bear — the animal
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. lean — thin
  5. bore — to tire
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. squash — to crush
  8. lean — to bend
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. game — a match
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wax — to grow
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. game — wild animals
  24. leaves — to go away

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