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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: wave · field · sharp · key · wax · present · last · drill

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. field — for sport
  3. last — to go on
  4. field — farmland
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. present — a gift
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wax — to grow
  12. last — final
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. drill — a practice
  16. sharp — clever
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. field — a subject
  19. drill — army training
  20. last — finally
  21. present — the time now
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. present — there
  24. key — the most important part

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