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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: net · ruler · field · nail · wax · mine · scale · pit

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. net — in sport
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pit — a hole
  7. field — farmland
  8. scale — in music
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. wax — to grow
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. pit — in a race
  15. field — a subject
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. net — after costs
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. net — for catching
  20. field — for sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. scale — size or range
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mine — for digging

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