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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.

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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. wax — to grow
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mark — a grade
  19. saw — the tool
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mark — a trace
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. kid — child

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