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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — to rob
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. mug — a face
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. hand — help
  10. branch — a division
  11. suit — to fit
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — to cut
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. suit — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. suit — clothes
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. clip — for paper

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