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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · object · bass · game · wax · wound · kid · nail

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. game — a match
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bass — low music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wax — to grow
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. object — to protest
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — an aim

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