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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wake — a trail
  4. degree — from a university
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. degree — an amount
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wind — moving air
  18. shower — rain
  19. row — a line
  20. bulb — for light
  21. row — to paddle
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bulb — for light
  24. shower — to wash

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