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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spell — magic
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — to visit
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. pass — a permit
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fine — high quality
  15. spell — letters
  16. fine — all right
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. wax — to grow
  21. pop — soda
  22. spell — a short time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. fine — a penalty

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