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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 124 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. capital — a city
  7. bulb — for light
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. bulb — for light
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bore — to tire
  12. track — to keep track
  13. vault — a safe
  14. capital — money
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bore — to drill
  24. hand — help

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