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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. bore — to tire
  3. current — of water
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bore — to drill
  7. ball — a great time
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. kid — child
  14. current — happening now
  15. kid — to tease
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. scale — in music
  18. current — electric
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wax — to grow
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. trunk — of a car

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