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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mug — a face
  3. wind — moving air
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. swing — music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. court — for sport
  8. mug — to rob
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. mug — a cup
  15. court — of law
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. court — of a king
  20. swing — to play on
  21. prune — to trim
  22. swing — in golf
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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