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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. wax — to grow
  9. drill — the tool
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. game — a match
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. drill — a practice
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. toast — bread
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. vault — a safe
  23. game — wild animals
  24. band — a music group

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