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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. prune — to trim
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pound — a weight
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bass — the fish
  14. last — finally
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. last — final
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. last — to go on
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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