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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: wax · band · ground · kid · nail · ball · sharp · pass

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. kid — to tease
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. ball — a dance
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ball — a great time
  13. band — a music group
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. kid — child
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. ground — crushed
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. band — a ring
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wax — to grow
  23. ground — a position
  24. wax — for sculpting

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