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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. content — happy
  10. deal — to handle
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. saw — the tool
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rock — a stone
  15. content — the amount
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. saw — the tool
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. shower — rain
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. nail — for a hammer

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