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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: net · mark · chest · lie · land · row · bore · wax

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mark — a trace
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — to grow
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mark — a grade
  8. lie — to recline
  9. land — a country
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. land — to come down
  12. row — to paddle
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. bore — to tire
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. net — for catching
  21. bore — to drill
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. land — ground
  24. wax — for sculpting

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