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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 116 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: wax · pitcher · cue · club · game · bore · mine · spring

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bore — to drill
  3. spring — the season
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — of water
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bore — to tire
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. game — a match
  15. club — a group
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cue — a hint
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wax — to grow
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — for golf
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cue — for pool

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