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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wind — moving air
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. sharp — clever
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. rash — a series
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. scale — in music
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wind — moving air

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