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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bass — low music
  4. club — for dancing
  5. press — to push
  6. tube — the underground
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bass — the fish
  9. tube — a container
  10. club — a group
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. press — a publisher
  15. drill — a practice
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. drill — the tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. drill — army training
  23. club — for golf
  24. stem — to come from

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