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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mark — a trace
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cell — a phone
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wax — to grow
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mark — a grade
  13. band — a music group
  14. ground — a position
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mate — to breed
  17. ground — crushed
  18. cell — in biology
  19. band — a ring
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mate — a friend
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. mark — to pay attention

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