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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bear — the animal
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rest — what's left
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bear — the animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rest — what's left
  13. hand — help
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — a division
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. date — the fruit
  19. rest — a break
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hand — in cards
  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