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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. craft — boats
  3. cold — an illness
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. firm — decided
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. craft — a skill
  8. scale — in music
  9. firm — steady
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. bore — to tire
  14. firm — a company
  15. lean — thin
  16. scale — size or range
  17. lean — to bend
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wax — to grow

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