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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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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: land · clip · wax · stand · club · firm · bore · drill

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. firm — a company
  3. wax — to grow
  4. clip — to cut
  5. land — ground
  6. drill — the tool
  7. club — a group
  8. land — a country
  9. firm — steady
  10. bore — to drill
  11. club — for golf
  12. bore — to tire
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. clip — for paper
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. clip — a video
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. club — for dancing
  21. stand — to bear
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. land — to come down
  24. firm — decided

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