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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: bore · drill · capital · wax · lash · temple · mine · season

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. capital — money
  9. bore — to drill
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. season — in sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wax — to grow
  14. drill — army training
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. capital — a city
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bore — to tire
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mine — for digging
  22. season — of the year
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — to lash out

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