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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. prune — to trim
  11. mug — to rob
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. prune — to trim
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. shower — rain
  16. mine — for digging
  17. cell — a phone
  18. staff — employees
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. staff — a stick
  21. mug — a face
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. cell — in biology
  24. shower — to wash

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