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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 116 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: pound · content · rush · row · hand · wax · racket · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rush — hurry
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. row — a line
  8. content — happy
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. hand — help
  11. content — the amount
  12. pound — a weight
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. hand — in cards
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  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