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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. root — the cause
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. march — the month
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. root — of a word
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. march — music
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. march — the month
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. root — of a plant
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. pass — a permit

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