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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. spring — the season
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bass — low music
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. row — a line
  13. spring — a coil
  14. foot — a measure
  15. can — a tin
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. can — to be able to
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. spring — of water
  24. foot — the bottom

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