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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: bore · content · wax · wave · tube · board · last · ground

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. tube — the underground
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. last — to go on
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. last — finally
  10. wax — to grow
  11. last — final
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. content — happy
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. content — the amount
  20. bore — to drill
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. tube — a container
  24. ground — a position

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