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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: hand · wax · nail · prune · face · ground · row · toast

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. hand — help
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. prune — to trim
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. prune — to trim
  9. row — a line
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. ground — a position
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wax — to grow
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. ground — the earth
  19. face — to confront
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. face — part of the head
  23. hand — in cards
  24. toast — bread

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