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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bass — low music
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tear — to rip
  7. swing — music
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. stem — to come from
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bass — the fish
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. tear — from crying
  20. game — wild animals
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tear — from crying
  23. foot — a measure
  24. tube — a container

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