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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. deal — to handle
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. club — a group
  7. bass — low music
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wind — moving air
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. clip — for paper
  12. root — of a plant
  13. club — for dancing
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. clip — a video
  17. root — the cause
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. clip — to cut
  22. club — for golf
  23. root — of a word
  24. straw — dry grass

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