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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. land — a country
  3. rule — a law
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rule — government
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. branch — a division
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. swing — to play on
  15. land — to come down
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tube — the underground
  19. swing — music
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. tube — a container
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. swing — in golf
  24. land — ground

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