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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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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: shower · wax · face · rest · bore · branch · mine · firm

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — to drill
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. firm — steady
  6. mine — for digging
  7. face — to confront
  8. firm — a company
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. shower — rain
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. rest — a break
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rest — what's left
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. firm — decided
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. face — to point toward
  23. branch — a division
  24. face — part of the head

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