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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mine — for digging
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. tube — the underground
  8. spell — magic
  9. lean — to bend
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. scale — in music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. lean — thin
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. tube — a container
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mine — an explosive

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