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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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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: bore · band · chest · nail · face · wax · rush · deal

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. deal — to handle
  6. band — a ring
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. chest — of your body
  10. wax — to grow
  11. bore — to tire
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. chest — a box
  15. bore — to drill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. band — a music group
  19. face — to confront
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. deal — a big deal

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