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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bulb — for light
  6. rush — hurry
  7. can — a tin
  8. tear — to rip
  9. game — a match
  10. bulb — for light
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ground — the earth
  16. can — to be able to
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. ground — a position
  24. can — a tin

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