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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: bore · present · rock · cue · land · rash · trunk · wax

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wax — to grow
  3. rash — hasty
  4. present — a gift
  5. cue — a hint
  6. rock — music
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bore — to drill
  9. land — a country
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. land — ground
  19. rock — a stone
  20. present — there
  21. present — the time now
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. bore — to tire

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