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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: object · bore · rush · wax · bat · drill · mine · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. object — an aim
  4. drill — army training
  5. object — a thing
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. track — a path
  12. object — to protest
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wax — to grow
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wax — for sculpting

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