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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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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: cell · rest · wax · bore · current · trunk · wound · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. current — of water
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bore — to drill
  5. cell — a phone
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. bore — to tire
  8. rest — a break
  9. wax — to grow
  10. tear — from crying
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. wound — an injury
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wound — an injury
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. current — happening now
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. rest — what's left
  24. current — electric

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