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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. roll — a cake
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. saw — the tool
  17. roll — a list
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. saw — the tool
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. stem — to come from
  24. chair — to sit on

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