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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. file — a line of people
  3. present — there
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lean — to bend
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. present — the time now
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lean — thin
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. file — a tool
  22. present — a gift
  23. file — a document
  24. saw — the tool

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