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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: hand · nail · current · wax · tear · land · mouse · lean

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. current — happening now
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. lean — to bend
  10. current — electric
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lean — thin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. tear — from crying
  18. land — to come down
  19. hand — help
  20. land — a country
  21. tear — from crying
  22. land — ground
  23. tear — to rip
  24. current — of water

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