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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: lean · bore · content · wax · hand · root · drill · season

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bore — to tire
  3. root — the cause
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. drill — army training
  6. root — of a plant
  7. drill — the tool
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lean — to bend
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. bore — to drill
  14. content — happy
  15. season — of the year
  16. lean — thin
  17. root — of a word
  18. hand — in cards
  19. season — in sport
  20. content — the amount
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. hand — help
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. content — videos and posts

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