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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. key — in music
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. tear — from crying
  5. clip — for paper
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. clip — to cut
  8. net — after costs
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. net — for catching
  12. tear — to rip
  13. key — for a lock
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. net — in sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rock — music
  18. lean — thin
  19. clip — a video
  20. key — the most important part
  21. tube — the underground
  22. lean — to bend
  23. tube — a container
  24. tear — from crying

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