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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. scale — in music
  8. net — for catching
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — for digging
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. wound — an injury
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. band — a ring
  18. scale — size or range
  19. net — after costs
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. roll — a list
  24. band — a music group

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