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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. net — in sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — in cards
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. net — after costs
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bore — to drill
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. hand — help
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bore — to tire
  22. net — for catching
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. deal — an agreement

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