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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: board · key · nail · pop · last · wax · tear · ball

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. tear — from crying
  9. wax — to grow
  10. key — the most important part
  11. ball — a dance
  12. tear — to rip
  13. key — in music
  14. pop — soda
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. last — to go on
  18. board — a committee
  19. key — for a lock
  20. last — final
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. last — finally
  23. tear — from crying
  24. board — to get on

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