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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. spring — the season
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. last — finally
  6. rush — hurry
  7. spring — a coil
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. track — a song
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wind — moving air
  15. spring — of water
  16. track — a path
  17. last — to go on
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bulb — for light
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. last — final
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. track — to keep track
  24. foot — the bottom

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