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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: bore · dip · tube · sharp · race · wax · bound · fall

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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. tube — a container
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bound — certain
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bound — obliged
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fall — the season
  10. wax — to grow
  11. sharp — clever
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. race — humankind
  14. fall — to drop
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fall — to drop
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. race — a contest
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. bore — to drill
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. dip — to sink
  24. tube — in a tire

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