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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bass — low music
  4. face — to confront
  5. bass — the fish
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. root — of a plant
  10. face — to point toward
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. face — part of the head
  14. root — the cause
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. net — for catching
  23. root — of a word
  24. nail — for a hammer

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