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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cap — a lid
  3. board — a committee
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. band — a music group
  7. cap — of ice
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. cap — a hat
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. land — to come down
  18. board — to get on
  19. land — a country
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. band — a ring
  22. tear — to rip
  23. land — ground
  24. tear — from crying

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