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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. current — of water
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. fine — all right
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bore — to drill
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. current — electric
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wax — to grow
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. branch — a division
  19. current — happening now
  20. cell — in biology
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. wax — in the ear

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