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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. object — an aim
  3. club — for dancing
  4. wax — to grow
  5. wound — an injury
  6. stand — to bear
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. club — a group
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. last — to go on
  13. club — for golf
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cold — not warm
  18. object — a thing
  19. wound — an injury
  20. object — to protest
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cold — an illness

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