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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.

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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 · tear · pass · bound · wax · squash · file · fall

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bound — tied together
  3. squash — to crush
  4. fall — to drop
  5. file — a document
  6. tear — from crying
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bore — to drill
  11. fall — the season
  12. bound — certain
  13. squash — the sport
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. fall — to drop
  16. bound — obliged
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. file — a tool
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. file — a line of people
  22. wax — to grow
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. wax — in the ear

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