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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 120 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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. file — a document
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cap — a lid
  12. row — a line
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. rock — music
  17. cap — a hat
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cap — of ice
  22. file — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. bear — the animal

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