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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spring — of water
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. game — wild animals
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. game — a match
  12. spring — a coil
  13. field — farmland
  14. can — a tin
  15. spring — the season
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. can — a tin
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. wax — to grow
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. can — to be able to

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