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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hand — in cards
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cold — not warm
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bore — to drill
  12. kick — in football
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. cold — an illness
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. hand — help
  24. cold — the Cold War

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