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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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. temple — a place of worship
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. field — farmland
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lean — thin
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. lean — to bend
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. snap — to click
  21. kick — in football
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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