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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. row — to paddle
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. prune — to trim
  6. net — for catching
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. ground — the earth
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. ground — crushed
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. net — after costs
  16. wind — moving air
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. ground — a position
  22. prune — to trim
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. net — in sport

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