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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · field · hand · ball · bore · sharp · saw · wax

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. hand — help
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. ball — a dance
  6. rule — a law
  7. field — for sport
  8. sharp — clever
  9. field — farmland
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bore — to tire
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. rule — government
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. bore — to drill
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. field — a subject
  20. wax — to grow
  21. ball — a great time
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — the tool
  24. hand — in cards

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