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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: mine · racket · band · wax · fork · deal · bore · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mine — for digging
  6. hand — help
  7. deal — to handle
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wax — to grow
  14. hand — in cards
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. band — a music group
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. band — a ring
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. deal — an agreement
  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