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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.

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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 · rush · mine · nail · wax · rock · stock · season

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. stock — shares
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mine — for digging
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rock — a stone
  11. season — of the year
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wax — to grow
  16. rock — music
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bore — to drill
  21. stock — goods
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. season — in sport
  24. wax — for sculpting

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