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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 120 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: march · tear · land · bore · fine · pit · kid · wax

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. tear — from crying
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. land — ground
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. fine — all right
  8. tear — to rip
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. bore — to drill
  13. wax — to grow
  14. march — the month
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. kid — to tease
  17. march — music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bore — to tire
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. pit — a hole
  24. fine — high quality

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