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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 120 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 · rock · wax · perch · stand · cold · spell · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bore — to drill
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. spell — magic
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — music
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. stand — to bear
  20. cold — not warm
  21. tube — the underground
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. stand — on your feet

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