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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · hand · chest · band · wave · fork · object · nail

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. object — to protest
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. fork — in a road
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. chest — of your body
  14. band — a ring
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. object — an aim
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chest — a box
  20. object — a thing
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. hand — in cards
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. wave — with your hand

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