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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spring — a coil
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spring — the season
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kid — child
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pound — a weight
  14. spring — of water
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. kid — to tease
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. roll — a cake
  22. stand — to bear
  23. roll — a list
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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