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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 116 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: wax · land · rash · leaves · mouse · bat · board · bore

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. bore — to tire
  3. wax — to grow
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. board — to get on
  7. bore — to drill
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. land — to come down
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. land — ground
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. land — a country
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. board — a committee
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bat — the animal

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