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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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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: wax · kid · rest · club · firm · nail · bowl · hand

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. firm — steady
  3. wax — in the ear
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. kid — to tease
  6. rest — what's left
  7. firm — decided
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. hand — in cards
  12. firm — a company
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. hand — help
  15. kid — child
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wax — to grow
  20. club — for golf
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — a group

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