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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. bank — for money
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bank — of a river
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bank — for money
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bat — the animal
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wound — an injury
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. saw — 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