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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wax — in the ear
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. key — the most important part
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. wax — to grow
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. rash — a series
  12. lean — thin
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. key — in music
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. lean — to bend
  20. ground — crushed
  21. key — for a lock
  22. rash — hasty
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — for measuring

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