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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. stem — to come from
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. clip — for paper
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. toast — bread
  18. toast — the most admired

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