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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. net — for catching
  5. tube — the underground
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. net — in sport
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. snap — to click
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. stem — to come from
  17. date — the fruit
  18. tube — a container
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cold — an illness
  21. net — after costs
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cold — not warm

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