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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 124 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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. drill — army training
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. drill — the tool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. rush — hurry
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. drill — a practice
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. craft — boats
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. foot — a measure
  22. craft — a skill
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. calf — a young animal

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