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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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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: swing · drill · dip · tear · bay · wax · saw · tube

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. tear — from crying
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. tube — a container
  7. swing — music
  8. tube — the underground
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. tear — to rip
  13. swing — in golf
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. saw — the tool
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. swing — to play on
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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