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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.

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: rush · nail · kid · pass · bore · wax · cold · cabinet

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bore — to tire
  4. pass — a permit
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. kid — to tease
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wax — to grow
  19. rush — hurry
  20. kid — child
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cold — not warm

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