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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bulb — for light
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. drill — army training
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. stand — to bear
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. drill — the tool
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. kid — child
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pound — a weight

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