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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 116 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 was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. key — in music
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. bass — the fish
  14. key — for a lock
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mine — for digging
  20. bass — low music
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. key — the most important part
  23. tear — from crying
  24. track — a path

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