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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: plane · cold · chair · bore · wax · rule · key · nail

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cold — an illness
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. rule — a law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — government
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cold — not warm
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. key — the most important part
  13. wax — to grow
  14. plane — a tool
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. key — in music
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. key — for a lock
  24. bore — to drill

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