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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. stem — to come from
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. saw — the tool
  14. plane — a tool
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. mine — for digging
  24. nail — for a hammer

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