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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: mine · bore · wind · nail · date · wax · mark · pound

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bore — to tire
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pound — a weight
  6. mark — a grade
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bore — to drill
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. date — the fruit
  20. wax — to grow
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. nail — for a hammer

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