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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. firm — a company
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. lean — to bend
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. net — for catching
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. field — farmland
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. field — a subject
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. firm — steady
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. firm — decided
  17. net — in sport
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. net — after costs
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rush — hurry
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. field — for sport
  24. pound — to hit hard

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