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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. chest — of your body
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. band — a music group
  14. bark — to shout
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. roll — a list
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. band — a ring
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bark — of a tree

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