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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. face — part of the head
  3. net — for catching
  4. current — of water
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. staff — employees
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. staff — a stick
  10. current — electric
  11. net — in sport
  12. rash — a series
  13. net — after costs
  14. hand — help
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. face — to confront
  18. hand — in cards
  19. face — to point toward
  20. wax — to grow
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. staff — employees
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. current — happening now

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