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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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. current — electric
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mug — a cup
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. mug — to rob
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mug — a face
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. row — to paddle
  24. temple — side of the head

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