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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: mine · key · wax · hand · straw · fan · nail · lean

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mine — for digging
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wax — to grow
  13. key — for a lock
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. hand — help
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. lean — thin
  19. key — in music
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. hand — in cards
  24. lean — to bend

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