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

Word bank: kid · band · swing · bore · wax · fine · row · stick

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. wax — to grow
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. band — a music group
  5. kid — child
  6. swing — music
  7. band — a ring
  8. row — a line
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. fine — high quality
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. swing — to play on
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. swing — in golf
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fine — all right
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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