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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: pit · wax · chest · nail · firm · wind · ball · date

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. chest — a box
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. firm — decided
  5. wind — moving air
  6. date — the fruit
  7. wax — to grow
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pit — a hole
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. firm — a company
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. chest — of your body
  23. firm — steady
  24. pit — in a race

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