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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: key · drill · stock · wax · pound · tube · bore · mine

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. drill — the tool
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pound — a weight
  7. drill — army training
  8. stock — goods
  9. mine — for digging
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stock — shares
  18. tube — a container
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. key — in music
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. wax — to grow
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. tube — the underground

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