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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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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. can — a tin
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fall — the season
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. can — to be able to
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bark — to shout
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. can — a tin
  20. scale — size or range
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. scale — in music

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