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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. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. land — a country
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. hand — help
  8. firm — steady
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. firm — a company
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. land — to come down
  13. firm — decided
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bass — low music
  18. bass — the fish
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. land — ground
  23. hand — in cards
  24. nail — on a finger

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