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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. craft — a skill
  3. fall — to drop
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. shower — to wash
  13. lean — thin
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. shower — rain
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a document
  18. craft — boats
  19. lean — to bend
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fall — the season
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. fall — to drop

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