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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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Word bank
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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. spring — the season
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. fine — all right
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wax — to grow
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fine — high quality
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. spring — of water
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. spring — a coil
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. chair — a leader

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