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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 116 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: nail · ruler · wax · wound · kid · hide · rush · straw

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rush — hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kid — child
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. kid — to tease
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. wax — to grow
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wound — an injury

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