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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spell — letters
  4. pop — soda
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. fine — all right
  7. bound — obliged
  8. spell — magic
  9. bound — tied together
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. spring — a coil
  13. deal — to handle
  14. spring — of water
  15. fine — high quality
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pop — to visit
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. pop — music
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. spring — the season
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bound — certain
  24. patient — a sick person

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