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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. hand — help
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. spring — the season
  6. hand — in cards
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rash — a series
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. spring — of water
  16. face — to confront
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spring — a coil
  19. face — part of the head
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rash — hasty

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