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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. lean — to bend
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cold — not warm
  8. rash — a series
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. bat — the animal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — to come from
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. can — a tin
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. rash — hasty
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lean — thin
  23. rush — hurry
  24. nail — for a hammer

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