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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 120 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: present · degree · drill · wax · mine · nail · pitch · foot

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mine — for digging
  3. degree — temperature
  4. wax — to grow
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. degree — from a university
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — a practice
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. present — the time now
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. foot — a measure
  19. degree — an amount
  20. drill — the tool
  21. present — there
  22. pitch — completely
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. present — a gift

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