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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · can · cold · nail · lie · row · object · rash

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rash — hasty
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. cold — an illness
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. can — a tin
  9. cold — not warm
  10. object — a thing
  11. row — to paddle
  12. object — an aim
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. object — to protest
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. can — to be able to
  19. row — a line
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — to grow
  22. rash — a series
  23. can — a tin
  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