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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cue — a signal
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. cue — a hint
  9. hand — in cards
  10. saw — the tool
  11. drill — the tool
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. drill — army training
  14. field — for sport
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. cue — for pool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. field — farmland
  19. hand — help
  20. wax — to grow
  21. drill — a practice
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. field — a subject
  24. wax — in the ear

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