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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. game — a match
  3. saw — the tool
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. perch — the fish
  9. march — the month
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. wax — to grow
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. game — wild animals
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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