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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 120 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: stick · patient · wax · foot · snap · squash · nail · land

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. land — to come down
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. squash — the sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. land — ground
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. foot — a measure
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. wax — to grow
  19. land — a country
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. squash — to crush
  24. patient — a sick person

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