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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. fall — the season
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. lean — thin
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rule — a law
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rule — government
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bark — to shout
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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