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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. last — to go on
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. tube — a container
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. spring — of water
  11. fine — high quality
  12. last — finally
  13. spring — the season
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. spring — a coil
  16. deal — to handle
  17. last — final
  18. fine — all right
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. tube — the underground
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. trunk — of a car

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