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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 120 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: mine · nail · wake · pitcher · chest · pass · content · rock

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wake — a trail
  10. pass — a permit
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. chest — a box
  14. mine — for digging
  15. content — happy
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. content — the amount
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. rock — music
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. content — videos and posts

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