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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — a line
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. row — to paddle
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rush — hurry
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. saw — the tool
  15. game — a match
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. nail — for a hammer

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