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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pop — music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. board — to get on
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. tear — to rip
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. tear — from crying
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. tear — from crying
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pop — to visit
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. board — a committee
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pop — soda

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