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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. land — to come down
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mug — to rob
  6. land — ground
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. land — a country
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. plane — a tool
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mug — a face
  24. nail — for a hammer

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