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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. track — a path
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. track — a song
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bark — to shout
  9. track — to keep track
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. can — a tin
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bat — the animal
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. can — a tin
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. arm — part of the 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