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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 · season · wax · bore · toast · row · vault · hand

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. row — a line
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. vault — a safe
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. hand — in cards
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. toast — bread
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wax — to grow
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. season — of the year
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. hand — help
  22. season — in sport
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. row — to paddle

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