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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rash — hasty
  3. root — of a plant
  4. drill — the tool
  5. rash — a series
  6. lean — thin
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. root — of a word
  14. lean — to bend
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. root — the cause
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. straw — a straw man

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