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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · nail · wind · bat · root · spell · rush · pass

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rush — hurry
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. root — of a word
  6. wax — to grow
  7. root — of a plant
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bat — the animal
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. pass — a permit
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. root — the cause
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — magic
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. pass — to succeed

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