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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spring — of water
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. stand — to bear
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rush — hurry
  10. deal — to handle
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. spring — a coil
  17. stock — goods
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stock — shares
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spring — the season

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