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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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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: wound · mark · mouse · straw · nail · file · lean · current

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wound — an injury
  5. current — electric
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. file — a tool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. current — of water
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lean — to bend
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. lean — thin
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. file — a line of people
  21. current — happening now
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. file — a document
  24. mouse — for a computer

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