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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. perch — the fish
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pass — a permit
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. lean — thin
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lean — to bend
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. mine — belonging to me

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