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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: mine · cabinet · nail · swing · cap · wind · object · wake

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. swing — to play on
  4. object — a thing
  5. swing — music
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cap — a hat
  10. object — an aim
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. swing — in golf
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mine — for digging
  24. wind — moving air

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