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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: fine · saw · march · chair · wax · kid · bore · pop

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. fine — all right
  4. kid — child
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. kid — to tease
  7. pop — to visit
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. march — the month
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. march — the month
  15. bore — to drill
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wax — to grow
  18. pop — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. march — music
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pop — soda

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