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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. degree — temperature
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. degree — an amount
  8. staff — employees
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. staff — a stick
  11. clip — to cut
  12. clip — for paper
  13. club — for golf
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. club — a group
  16. staff — employees
  17. club — for dancing
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. degree — from a university
  23. clip — a video
  24. wax — to grow

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