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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 116 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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rush — hurry
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. club — for golf
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bore — to drill
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wound — an injury
  24. club — a group

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