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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pop — music
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. pop — to visit
  7. cold — an illness
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. key — for a lock
  11. deal — to handle
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. pop — soda
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cold — not warm
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wax — to grow
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. deal — a big deal

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