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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. clip — for paper
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bark — to shout
  6. band — a music group
  7. clip — to cut
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. clip — a video
  10. object — an aim
  11. wake — a trail
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. object — to protest
  20. branch — a division
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. object — a thing
  24. band — a ring

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