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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. content — the amount
  5. land — a country
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. swing — in golf
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. bank — for money
  10. swing — music
  11. pop — music
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pop — soda
  14. land — to come down
  15. chest — of your body
  16. land — ground
  17. content — happy
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bank — for money
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bank — of a river
  22. swing — to play on
  23. chest — a box
  24. pop — to visit

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