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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · nail · kid · swing · foot · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. swing — in golf
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. kid — child
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. kid — to tease
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. cell — a phone
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. swing — music
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wind — moving air
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cell — in biology
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. swing — to play on

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