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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bear — the animal
  3. present — the time now
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ground — the earth
  6. tube — a container
  7. spring — of water
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. present — a gift
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bear — the animal
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. ground — a position
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. spring — the season
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. present — there
  24. foot — a measure

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