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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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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: jam · chair · drill · kick · nail · wax · wake · field

  1. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — to grow
  2. field — for sport
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. wake — a trail
  6. drill — the tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. field — farmland
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. kick — in football
  14. chair — a leader
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. chair — to sit 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