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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. band — a ring
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bore — to tire
  5. staff — employees
  6. rash — a series
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wax — to grow
  10. staff — employees
  11. bore — to drill
  12. present — there
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. present — the time now
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. rash — hasty
  23. band — a music group
  24. wax — for sculpting

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