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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: hand · foot · fall · racket · lash · wax · cold · bore

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — a measure
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. hand — help
  13. wax — to grow
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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