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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. bulb — for light
  5. row — to paddle
  6. staff — a stick
  7. drill — army training
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. row — a line
  10. bulb — for light
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fall — the season
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. chest — a box
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. chest — of your body
  23. staff — employees
  24. drill — the tool

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