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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 116 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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. ground — the earth
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. clip — a video
  7. ground — a position
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pound — a weight
  10. key — the most important part
  11. clip — for paper
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. key — in music
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. clip — to cut
  24. wax — to grow

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