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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: nail · wave · can · foot · bark · ground · wax · date

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. wax — to grow
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. date — the fruit
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. ground — the earth
  13. can — a tin
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. bark — to shout
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. can — a tin
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. nail — for a hammer

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