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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wax — to grow
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. saw — the tool
  6. clip — for paper
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. season — of the year
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — a video
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wax — in the ear

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