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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. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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. root — of a word
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. last — final
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. last — to go on
  9. last — finally
  10. capital — a city
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. ball — a great time
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. root — the cause
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. ball — a dance
  19. hand — help
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. hand — in cards
  22. wax — to grow
  23. root — of a plant
  24. capital — money

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