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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 116 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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. craft — a skill
  4. lean — to bend
  5. mug — to rob
  6. shower — to wash
  7. craft — boats
  8. mug — a cup
  9. fall — the season
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. fall — to drop
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lean — thin
  17. shower — rain
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mug — a face
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. fall — to drop

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