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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 120 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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. club — a group
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. snap — to click
  8. branch — a division
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rest — a break
  15. bat — the animal
  16. club — for golf
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. rest — what's left
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. wax — to grow
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wax — for sculpting

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