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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wound — an injury
  9. net — after costs
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. file — a document
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. foot — a measure
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bear — the animal
  21. net — for catching
  22. net — in sport
  23. stem — to come from
  24. stem — of a plant

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