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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bore — to drill
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. bore — to tire
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wax — to grow
  12. band — a music group
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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