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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — to grow
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — army training
  13. bat — the animal
  14. drill — the tool
  15. key — for a lock
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bear — the animal
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. deal — an agreement

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