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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
468
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: toast · craft · nail · can · pass · wax · tube · cold

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. can — to be able to
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. craft — boats
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. pass — a permit
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tube — a container
  19. can — a tin
  20. wax — to grow
  21. can — a tin
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cold — the Cold War
  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