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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. wax — to grow
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rest — a break
  6. firm — steady
  7. rash — a series
  8. field — for sport
  9. branch — a division
  10. field — a subject
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. firm — a company
  13. firm — decided
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. field — farmland
  16. rest — what's left
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rest — what's left
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. sharp — clever
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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