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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. stand — to bear
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bank — of a river
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. pound — a weight
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. wind — moving air
  24. row — a line

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