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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. ball — a dance
  3. stem — to come from
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. band — a music group
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. kick — in football
  9. fork — in a road
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rash — hasty
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. ball — a great time
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. snap — to click
  23. rash — a series
  24. stem — of a plant

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