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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. press — to push
  5. spring — a coil
  6. root — of a plant
  7. band — a music group
  8. root — of a word
  9. spring — the season
  10. mate — to breed
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. mate — a partner
  13. band — a ring
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mate — a friend
  16. spring — of water
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. root — the cause
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. band — a rubber band

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