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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 116 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. saw — the tool
  8. clip — for paper
  9. field — a subject
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — farmland
  12. clip — a video
  13. row — a line
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. clip — to cut
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mark — a trace
  20. field — for sport
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. saw — the tool
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mark — a grade

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