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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. drill — army training
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. prune — to trim
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. drill — the tool
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. kid — child
  16. rush — hurry
  17. row — a line
  18. prune — to trim
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. row — to paddle
  23. drill — a practice
  24. nail — for a hammer

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