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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 120 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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. rest — a break
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. charge — a price
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. drill — the tool
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. drill — army training
  11. rest — what's left
  12. drill — a practice
  13. hand — in cards
  14. charge — electricity
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. hand — help
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lean — thin
  19. charge — in control
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. tube — a container
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rest — what's left
  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