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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
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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: bore · wax · rush · bass · hand · key · saw · field

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hand — in cards
  4. rush — hurry
  5. field — a subject
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. wax — to grow
  12. key — in music
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bore — to drill
  18. key — the most important part
  19. hand — help
  20. bass — low music
  21. field — farmland
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. field — for sport
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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