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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. suit — to fit
  4. wound — an injury
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. spell — a short time
  9. wound — an injury
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. suit — in cards
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. suit — clothes
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. spell — letters
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. rest — a break
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. spell — magic
  24. march — the month

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