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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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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: mark · rash · tube · band · ground · bore · pound · wax

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. band — a music group
  4. rash — hasty
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. band — a ring
  7. tube — a container
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pound — a weight
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rash — a series
  17. bore — to tire
  18. mark — a grade
  19. ground — a position
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wax — in the ear

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