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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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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: mug · chair · rush · nail · cell · ball · spring · object

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. object — to protest
  7. ball — a great time
  8. spring — of water
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rush — hurry
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. chair — a leader
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. object — an aim
  17. mug — a cup
  18. object — a thing
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cell — in biology

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