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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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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: fine · pit · wax · mark · snap · nail · rule · shower

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fine — all right
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. shower — to wash
  10. mark — a grade
  11. pit — in a race
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. shower — rain
  14. wax — to grow
  15. pit — a hole
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. rule — a law
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mark — a trace
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rule — government

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