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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. rest — a break
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bear — the animal
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bear — the animal
  22. row — a line
  23. rest — what's left
  24. saw — the tool

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