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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wind — moving air
  4. band — a music group
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. staff — employees
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. land — a country
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. land — ground
  13. staff — a stick
  14. band — a ring
  15. bear — the animal
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. land — to come down
  18. bear — the animal
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. staff — employees
  24. wind — moving air

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