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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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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: racket · wax · mark · bore · lie · pound · mate · kid

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wax — to grow
  9. bore — to tire
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kid — child
  16. pound — a weight
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. lie — an untruth

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