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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. hand — help
  5. spring — a coil
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — low music
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. spring — of water
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spring — the season
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. safe — a strongbox

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