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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: nail · tube · drill · squash · band · pass · wax · net

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  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. tube — the underground
  2. pass — a permit
  3. drill — army training
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. squash — to crush
  7. band — a music group
  8. drill — the tool
  9. net — after costs
  10. drill — a practice
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. net — for catching
  16. band — a ring
  17. net — in sport
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. tube — a container
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wax — to grow
  23. squash — the sport
  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