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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. suit — to fit
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — a tin
  5. hand — help
  6. can — to be able to
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. lean — to bend
  9. hand — in cards
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bank — of a river
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. tear — from crying
  14. suit — clothes
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bank — for money
  17. tear — from crying
  18. suit — in cards
  19. lean — thin
  20. tear — to rip
  21. bank — for money
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — in an idiom

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