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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. band — a music group
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fork — in a road
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. band — a ring
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — a match
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wax — to grow
  20. chair — a leader
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wake — a trail

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