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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rush — hurry
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. file — a document
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. file — a tool
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wax — to grow
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. snap — to click
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. bulb — for light

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