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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rush · land · cell · roll · bore · cabinet · pop

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — to grow
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. land — a country
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rush — hurry
  14. roll — a list
  15. land — ground
  16. bore — to tire
  17. land — to come down
  18. bore — to drill
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. roll — a cake

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