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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: season · drill · temple · mouse · bore · racket · wax · key

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. wax — to grow
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. key — the most important part
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. season — in sport
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bore — to drill
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. season — of the year
  22. key — in music
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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