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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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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: drill · band · charge · mark · bore · chair · wax · rule

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. chair — a leader
  5. rule — government
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bore — to drill
  8. mark — a trace
  9. band — a music group
  10. rule — a law
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — electricity
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. band — a ring
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. charge — a price
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. drill — army training
  22. wax — to grow
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. band — a rubber band

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