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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 116 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. shower — to wash
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — an injury
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bear — the animal
  10. rash — a series
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. shower — rain
  16. ball — a dance
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bass — the fish
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. bass — low music
  24. bear — to put up with

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