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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. land — to come down
  3. firm — decided
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. firm — a company
  6. wax — to grow
  7. land — a country
  8. firm — steady
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rock — music
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. snap — to click
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. land — ground
  23. chair — a leader
  24. rock — a stone

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