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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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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: wax · bank · kid · pitcher · staff · degree · last · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wax — to grow
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bank — for money
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bank — for money
  9. kid — to tease
  10. degree — temperature
  11. last — to go on
  12. degree — from a university
  13. staff — employees
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. last — final
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. last — finally
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bank — of a river
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. kid — child

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