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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: ground · nail · wax · bowl · cabinet · game · file · hand

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. file — a document
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. file — a tool
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. ground — the earth
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wax — to grow
  24. bowl — a football final

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