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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bore — to drill
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — for digging
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rush — hurry
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. bank — for money
  12. fine — high quality
  13. bank — for money
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ball — a great time
  16. season — in sport
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. season — of the year
  19. fine — all right
  20. bore — to tire
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bank — of a river
  23. rush — a thrill
  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