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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: deal · wax · drill · face · bore · lean · pound · pitcher

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. bore — to tire
  3. deal — to handle
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. face — to confront
  7. wax — to grow
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pound — a weight
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. drill — a practice
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bore — to drill
  20. lean — thin
  21. face — part of the head
  22. drill — the tool
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. drill — army training

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