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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. club — a group
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. kid — child
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lean — to bend
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bark — to shout
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — rain
  20. lean — thin
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. club — for golf
  23. shower — to wash
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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