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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: mug · wake · net · straw · wax · roll · nail · last

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. last — final
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. roll — a cake
  7. last — finally
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mug — a face
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. wake — a trail
  13. net — after costs
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. mug — to rob
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. roll — a list
  21. net — in sport
  22. wax — to grow
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. last — to go 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