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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bore · wax · branch · drill · land · cabinet · rush · perch

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. bore — to tire
  5. branch — a division
  6. drill — army training
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wax — to grow
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. land — to come down
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. land — a country
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. land — ground
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. drill — the tool

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