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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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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: tear · wind · wax · bore · drill · branch · craft · lie

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bore — to tire
  4. tear — from crying
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. wax — to grow
  8. branch — a division
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bore — to drill
  12. drill — the tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wind — moving air
  20. craft — boats
  21. drill — army training
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. craft — a skill

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