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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lean — to bend
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. season — of the year
  6. mine — for digging
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. net — after costs
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — a signal
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. net — in sport
  15. season — in sport
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wake — a trail
  22. net — for catching
  23. hand — help
  24. lean — thin

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