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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mug — a face
  3. spell — magic
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. mug — a cup
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spell — letters
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. shower — rain
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mug — to rob
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. roll — a cake
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. shower — to wash
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. roll — a list
  24. spell — a short time

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