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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · drill · wax · mug · cold · wind · nail · rock

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. net — in sport
  4. cold — not warm
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — to rob
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. mug — a cup
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. net — after costs
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — army training
  22. net — for catching
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cold — an illness

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