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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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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: bark · spell · nail · drill · fine · scale · wax · temple

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. drill — army training
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wax — to grow
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bark — to shout
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fine — high quality
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. scale — size or range

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