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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. row — a line
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. staff — employees
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. degree — an amount
  9. degree — from a university
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. row — to paddle
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. staff — a stick
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. staff — employees
  20. prune — to trim
  21. degree — temperature
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. wind — to turn a key

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