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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: swing · stock · bore · wax · rock · mine · ruler · row

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. bore — to tire
  9. swing — music
  10. rock — music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. stock — goods
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. stock — shares
  19. row — a line
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. swing — to play on
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. swing — in golf
  24. rock — a stone

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