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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. clip — to cut
  6. saw — the tool
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. deal — to handle
  12. season — of the year
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. season — in sport
  22. stem — to come from
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mouse — the animal

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