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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rock — music
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kid — child
  11. rock — a stone
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bear — the animal
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. kid — to tease
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rest — a break
  23. plane — a tool
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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