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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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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: last · wax · ground · nail · bay · pound · saw · fan

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. ground — a position
  3. wax — to grow
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. last — to go on
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. last — final
  10. ground — the earth
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pound — a weight
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. last — finally
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. nail — on a finger

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