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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: deal · bore · wax · can · field · ground · kid · face

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. bore — to drill
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bore — to tire
  8. field — farmland
  9. deal — to handle
  10. can — a tin
  11. field — a subject
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. face — to confront
  18. field — for sport
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wax — to grow
  21. ground — crushed
  22. face — to point toward
  23. kid — to tease
  24. can — a tin

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