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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. race — a contest
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wax — to grow
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fork — in a road
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. spell — magic
  13. key — the most important part
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. spell — letters
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. key — for a lock
  19. branch — a division
  20. key — in music
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. race — the arms race
  23. race — humankind
  24. fork — a garden tool

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