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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. scale — in music
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. band — a ring
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. band — a music group
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. sharp — clever
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cell — a phone
  22. wax — to grow
  23. scale — size or range
  24. chair — a leader

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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