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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pass — a permit
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. roll — a cake
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. wound — an injury
  15. roll — a list
  16. wind — moving air
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wound — an injury
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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