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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: swing · hide · cell · wax · land · bank · bore · kid

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. land — a country
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. kid — child
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. land — ground
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — music
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bore — to drill
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bore — to tire
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bank — for money
  19. cell — a phone
  20. land — to come down
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bank — for money
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wax — to grow

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