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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.

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: saw · pitcher · wax · row · nail · fine · pass · fork

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. row — a line
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. saw — the tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fine — all right
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. row — to paddle
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fine — high quality
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wax — to grow
  24. pass — a permit

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