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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 116 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: spring · pound · wind · bore · leaves · season · game · wax

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. spring — a coil
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. wax — to grow
  5. spring — of water
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. bore — to tire
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. game — a match
  11. season — in sport
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. season — of the year
  19. spring — the season
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. pound — a weight
  24. game — a kind of play

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