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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. shower — rain
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. degree — an amount
  8. bear — the animal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. shower — to wash
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. spell — magic
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bear — the animal
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. degree — from a university
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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