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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. suit — in cards
  3. cue — a hint
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. suit — clothes
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. wax — to grow
  10. hand — help
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. race — a contest
  13. hand — in cards
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. race — the arms race
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. race — humankind
  21. band — a ring
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. suit — to fit
  24. nail — for a hammer

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