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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rush — hurry
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fall — to drop
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. fall — the season
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. land — a country
  11. pitch — completely
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bass — the fish
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — low music
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. band — a ring
  21. land — to come down
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — ground
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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