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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bound — obliged
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. deal — to handle
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. shower — rain
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. chair — a leader
  14. shower — to wash
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bound — tied together
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. prune — to trim
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. bound — certain
  24. stem — to come from

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