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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 120 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. club — a group
  3. rush — hurry
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. root — of a word
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. club — for golf
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. root — of a plant
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wound — an injury
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. root — the cause
  23. pound — a weight
  24. club — for dancing

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