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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. cold — not warm
  5. tube — a container
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mug — a cup
  8. lean — thin
  9. cold — an illness
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cell — in biology
  12. lean — to bend
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. can — a tin
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cell — a phone
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. mug — a face
  23. tube — the underground
  24. mug — to rob

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