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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 120 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: wax · ground · temple · cue · stock · season · wind · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bore — to drill
  4. ground — crushed
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cue — for pool
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stock — shares
  10. season — of the year
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. ground — a position
  13. stock — goods
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cue — a signal
  20. season — in sport
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. cue — a hint
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. ground — the earth

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