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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rest — what's left
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. hand — help
  5. net — after costs
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. net — in sport
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hand — in cards
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rest — a break
  21. net — for catching
  22. kick — in football
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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