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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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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: rest · craft · squash · wax · drill · cue · nail · snap

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. cue — a hint
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. craft — boats
  7. squash — to crush
  8. cue — for pool
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wax — to grow
  12. rest — what's left
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. drill — army training
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. cue — a signal
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rest — a break
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. craft — a skill

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