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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. present — the time now
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. mate — to breed
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bound — obliged
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. chip — for betting
  12. tube — a container
  13. chip — to eat
  14. present — a gift
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mate — a partner
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bound — tied together
  19. prune — to trim
  20. present — there
  21. shower — rain
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bound — certain
  24. prune — to trim

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