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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. present — a gift
  3. march — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. present — the time now
  6. firm — steady
  7. march — the month
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. degree — from a university
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. firm — decided
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. wax — to grow
  15. lie — to recline
  16. firm — a company
  17. degree — temperature
  18. present — there
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. degree — an amount
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. march — the month
  24. nail — for a hammer

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