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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stem — to come from
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wind — moving air
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. spring — of water
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pass — a permit
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. nail — for a hammer

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