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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bear — the animal
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. shower — to wash
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. shower — rain
  14. race — a contest
  15. bear — the animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. race — the arms race
  18. spell — a short time
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. race — humankind

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