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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: game · bat · bowl · wax · pound · nail · mug · kid

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bat — the animal
  4. kid — child
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. game — wild animals
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. mug — a cup
  11. kid — to tease
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. mug — to rob
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. mug — a face
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. game — a match
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wax — to grow

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