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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. can — a tin
  4. wax — to grow
  5. bore — to drill
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. can — a tin
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. fall — to drop
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mine — for digging
  19. prune — to trim
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. fall — the season
  22. bore — to tire
  23. can — to be able to
  24. coach — a trainer

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