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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wind — moving air
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — a gift
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. fine — high quality
  11. present — there
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. wax — to grow
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. current — happening now
  18. fine — all right
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. mark — a trace

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