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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: wax · clip · wake · can · bay · suit · fan · nail

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. can — to be able to
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. suit — clothes
  7. clip — to cut
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — a video
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. can — a tin
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. can — a tin
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. fan — to cool the air

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