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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: kick · pass · mine · bore · pit · wax · cell · spring

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. cell — in biology
  4. pit — a hole
  5. kick — in football
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pit — in a race
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cell — a phone
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pass — a permit
  22. wax — to grow
  23. spring — the season
  24. mine — for digging

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