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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: mouse · nail · jam · stick · chest · perch · row · mine

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. chest — of your body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. chest — a box
  24. perch — the fish

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