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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. spell — a short time
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spell — letters
  6. snap — to click
  7. spell — magic
  8. tube — a container
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. tube — the underground
  14. stock — shares
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. stock — goods
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wound — an injury

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