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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. wax — to grow
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bound — tied together
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pop — music
  10. march — music
  11. season — in sport
  12. sharp — clever
  13. pop — soda
  14. bound — certain
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. saw — the tool
  17. march — the month
  18. pop — to visit
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. season — of the year
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bound — obliged
  23. march — the month
  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