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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: rush · kid · jam · cabinet · field · nail · wake · row

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kid — to tease
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. row — a line
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rush — hurry
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. wake — a trail
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. kid — child
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. row — to paddle
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. field — farmland
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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