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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. mug — a face
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. mug — to rob
  6. bore — to drill
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chest — a box
  11. wax — to grow
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bark — to shout
  15. chest — of your body
  16. shower — rain
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. chest — of your body
  24. bark — of a tree

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