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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: nail · wave · fine · last · fork · pitcher · straw · file

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — finally
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. file — a tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a line of people
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. fine — all right
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. file — a document
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — a penalty

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