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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.

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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: hand · craft · mine · dip · chip · nail · face · wax

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. hand — help
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. craft — a skill
  7. craft — boats
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. wax — to grow
  12. face — to confront
  13. chip — to eat
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chip — for betting
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to point toward
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mine — for digging
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wax — in the ear

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