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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: track · wax · kid · season · band · bore · fine · snap

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. bore — to drill
  3. kid — to tease
  4. season — of the year
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. fine — all right
  9. band — a music group
  10. bore — to tire
  11. season — in sport
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wax — to grow
  14. kid — child
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. snap — to click
  17. band — a ring
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. track — to keep track
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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