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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. can — to be able to
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. wax — to grow
  7. bat — the animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. band — a ring
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wound — an injury
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bound — tied together
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bound — certain
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bound — obliged
  24. band — a music group

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