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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: land · pitch · bore · mouse · snap · present · wax · lie

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. land — to come down
  4. present — there
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wax — to grow
  9. present — the time now
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. land — a country
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pitch — completely
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. land — ground
  24. snap — to click

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