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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. band — a music group
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. snap — to click
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. prune — to trim
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. band — a ring
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bear — the animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. prune — to trim
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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