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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hand — in cards
  6. bore — to drill
  7. snap — to click
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to tire
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. hand — help
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. prune — to trim
  22. march — the month
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. tube — in a tire

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