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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 120 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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. object — a thing
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. object — an aim
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. content — the amount
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. object — to protest
  12. content — happy
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. spring — the season

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