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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: bore · wax · roll · drill · swing · bound · race · bear

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. drill — army training
  7. swing — music
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bound — certain
  10. race — the arms race
  11. swing — to play on
  12. bear — the animal
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bear — the animal
  16. race — humankind
  17. race — a contest
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a list
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bore — to drill

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