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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: wound · straw · nail · mug · rash · mine · spring · wax

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. mug — to rob
  3. wound — an injury
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mug — a face
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. wax — to grow
  9. rash — a series
  10. spring — of water
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mug — a cup
  19. spring — the season
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rash — hasty
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wax — for sculpting

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