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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. staff — employees
  7. band — a music group
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. cell — a phone
  14. staff — a stick
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. staff — employees
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. cell — in biology
  23. band — a ring
  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