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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. fall — the season
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fall — to drop
  7. net — for catching
  8. tear — to rip
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. fall — to drop
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. net — in sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tear — from crying
  16. net — after costs
  17. tear — from crying
  18. wind — to turn a key

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