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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: wax · racket · stick · date · rule · face · bore · hand

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bore — to drill
  6. wax — to grow
  7. rule — government
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bore — to tire
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. date — the fruit
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rule — a law
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hand — in cards
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. hand — help
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bore — gave birth

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