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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 120 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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. can — a tin
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wax — to grow
  6. can — a tin
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. can — to be able to
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. game — a match
  11. drill — army training
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — wild animals
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. deal — to handle
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. drill — the tool

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