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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. squash — to crush
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. squash — the sport
  7. court — of law
  8. file — a tool
  9. foot — a measure
  10. file — a line of people
  11. object — an aim
  12. file — a document
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. object — a thing
  15. wax — to grow
  16. wound — an injury
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. court — for sport
  20. object — to protest
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. court — of a king
  24. foot — the bottom

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