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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bore — to tire
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. foot — a measure
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bore — to drill
  19. row — a line
  20. tube — a container
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rash — a series
  23. tube — the underground
  24. foot — part of the body

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