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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fall — to drop
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. fall — the season
  5. chest — a box
  6. wax — to grow
  7. field — a subject
  8. chest — of your body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. current — electric
  16. field — farmland
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. key — the most important part
  20. field — for sport
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. fall — to drop

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