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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: pitcher · land · bore · wax · deal · file · chair · key

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. file — a tool
  3. land — to come down
  4. key — for a lock
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. key — in music
  8. key — the most important part
  9. file — a document
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. land — ground
  14. deal — to handle
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. wax — to grow
  19. file — a line of people
  20. land — a country
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bore — gave birth

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