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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: land · snap · spring · mug · game · nail · squash · wax

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spring — of water
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. spring — the season
  6. squash — the sport
  7. land — to come down
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. wax — to grow
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to click
  14. land — a country
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mug — to rob
  18. squash — to crush
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. land — ground
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. mug — a cup

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