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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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. tear — from crying
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lean — to bend
  6. mug — a cup
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mug — a face
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. mug — to rob
  22. chip — for betting
  23. lean — thin
  24. cold — an illness

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