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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mine — for digging
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bore — to tire
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bore — to drill
  17. shower — rain
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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